Real Madrid: An early prediction for the strongest 2020-21 starting XI
By Parshva Shah
Defense: Dani Carvajal, Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy
Since the 2013-14 season, Real Madrid’s defense has been almost the same. Dani Carvajal, Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo have been the mainstays of the famed backline and were instrumental in leading the club to a European dynasty from 2014 to 2018. They are still pretty much regular fixtures in the XI.
However, as with all things, the old must make way for the new. Marcelo, at 32, has clearly entered his decline although one cannot deny that he has a lot left in his tank. Ferland Mendy was the signing of the season, and possibly the signing of the last three to four seasons.
His continued inclusion in the starting XI helped Real shore up its defense and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Mendy played one of the biggest hands in leading the team to not only their best-ever defensive numbers, but also the league title.
The French left-back will continue to be a crucial piece of Real’s prized backline and it seems like Marcelo’s days as conquering the left flank are nearing a bittersweet end, however, I would dare not count him off.
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Marcelo is one of the best players around when he gets into his Samba groove, and I hope he can rediscover his touch next season (there were a few signs during the second half of the 2019-20 season).
As for the center-back pairing, the Varane-Ramos duo is indispensable for at least two more seasons. For Ramos, age is just a number. He broke his own record for the most league appearances in a single season, appearing 35 times in the 2019-20 season (previous best was 34 during the 2011-12 season) despite being 34.
Varane, on the other hand, is entering his prime. Many would be shocked to know that he is just 27 and Real will need him to shrug his injury woes of previous seasons to lead the defense alongside our beloved captain. He was at his absolute best during this season, and he is one of the three best center-backs in the world at the moment.
That leaves us with the right-back spot. Why would any coach in the world want to tinker with his line-up when he has one of the best right-backs on the roster? Carvajal has been an undisputed starter ever since returning from Bayer Leverkusen in the 2013-14 season.
Achraf Hakimi’s sale to Inter Milan further proves that Zidane and the Real Madrid hierarchy have no plans of displacing Carvajal as the team’s go-to right-back.
There have been reports of Álvaro Odriozola returning to the Spanish capital after a six-month loan stint with Bayern Munich, but he will be nothing more than a backup to Carvajal.