Real Madrid allowed fewer goals than any other club in La Liga during the 2019-2020 season, but what does the future hold for the four men protecting Thibaut Courtois’ net?
Under Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid defense experienced a resurgence in quality. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane returned to being the world’s best center back pairing, Dani Carvajal got back on track as a top-class right back despite a few blips, and new signing Ferland Mendy couldn’t have looked any more comfortable at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Although Real Madrid have been linked to a few defenders for the summer 2020 transfer window, it’s unlikely they will make major changes to the back four. Any changes will be upgrades and depth reinforcements in the form of returning loanees, as Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilón could rejoin the club after excellent 2019-2020 campaigns elsewhere.
There’s no guarantee Reguilón and Hakimi will be in the lineup next season, as there are a number of teams, including PSG, rumored to be interested in both. Neither player is expected to leave Real, and the same can be said for Eder Militao, who has reportedly garnered interest from Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.
Next season, the starters in the back four should be the same. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will flank Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, and when all four of them were healthy, they were unstoppable. Their closing speed, tactical intelligence, and ability to support the attack are excellent, and while all four players have different strengths and weaknesses, those broad – and important – qualities hold them together.
What should scare every other team in Europe, though, is that Real Madrid’s league-best defense will be even deeper and more adept at attacking. Reguilón has made huge strides defensively at Sevilla, but he’s more well-known for his chance creation. If Real need attacking juice, Reguilón can provide even more of it than Mendy, without sacrificing on defense as the aging Marcelo may.
On the right side, Hakimi has more question marks about his defending due to his aggressiveness on the attacking end, but he isn’t poor defensively and more than makes up for it with his contributions in the final third. A capable scorer due to his shooting ability, Hakimi also had 10 assists in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund last season. As with the Mendy/Reguilón relationship, if Zinedine Zidane wants more attacking, he can roll with Hakimi in the lineup.
Real Madrid could use another backup option at center back if Nacho Fernández makes his way out of the Bernabeu, but that is unlikely. Nacho was effective last season when called upon, and Real should love what Éder Militão did in his first season with the club. He’s worth 50 million euros and can absolutely start in Ramos’ place in a pinch.
Thanks to the returning fullbacks and the potential for another backup center back, such as Mohammed Salisu, Los Blancos will be even better defensively. Their starting back four should be the same, but it’s the additional quality in supporting the attack, as well as continued growth from youngsters like Militão, which will put them on an even higher level.