Real Madrid’s pre-season training is in full swing under Carlo Ancelotti. The players have been working hard and are being tested to their physical limits under the fitness coach, Antonio Pintus. Ancelotti has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to deliver at Real Madrid as the new season approaches.
There has not been munch transfer activity yet at the Spanish capital apart from Sergio Ramos’ departure to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent and the signing of David Alaba from Bayern Munich on a free transfer as well.
Apart from the possible signing of Kylian Mbappe, Carlo Ancelotti is not expected to receive much support in the transfer market. Whether or not Mbappe signs for Real Madrid this summer, there are still three serious issues in the squad that need to be addressed. Let’s start with the first one.
THE RIGHT FLANK AT REAL MADRID
The right-wing and the right-back position are two major causes of concern. Let’s address the right-wing first. Last season, Marco Asensio majorly underperformed barring a string of impressive performances that did not last too long. Rodrygo Goes was impressive but an early major injury ruined his season.
Gareth Bale is back in the squad and is expected to play out his final season, although Bale had a decent individual campaign with Tottenham Hotspur and Wales, Hridyam Arora makes the case that the Welshman is past his best and might struggle next season to deliver the goods.
With that being said, the right-wing looks pretty ineffective at the moment. All hopes will be pinned on Bale and Rodrygo to turn up next season.
Now coming to the right-back position, Los Blancos arguably have one of the best right-backs in the world, Dani Carvajal. The Spaniard is a complete full-back who is effective on both ends of the pitch, however, he has endured a rough time for the past couple of seasons, mainly due to injuries.
With Carvajal hopping in and out from the first team due to injuries, the pressure mounts up on Alvaro Odriozola who has also been sub-par. The next best choice is Lucas Vazquez who played tremendously well as a right-back but once again it would be unwise to depend on Vazquez to be the second choice right-back for an entire season as that is not his natural position.
THE LEFT WING AT REAL MADRID
The left-wing is another concerning area that Carlo Ancelotti will look to address. For starters, the club will have to map a plan out on how to keep Eden Hazard fit, as the Belgian has endured two injury-marred seasons at the Spanish capital.
Eden Hazard’s continuous injuries ultimately impact the squad dynamics and game plan. The team gets used to playing a certain way with the former Chelsea Blue and then they have to readjust immediately once he’s out with an injury.
If Hazard has yet another injury-riddled season, the next best alternative from the bench is Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian is certainly a promising talent but struggles more often than not to deliver the final product.
Under Zinedine Zidane, Vinicius had a somewhat of a mixed spell of form. At times he would be extremely effective off the bench and sometimes he would just seem lost. But with Zidane now gone, Carlo Ancelotti will have to come up with a plan on how to make the most out of the Brazilian.
The other option would be playing Marco Asensio on the left wing but then again, the Spaniard has not been at his best form since the 2017/18 season. Asensio has gone through a dry patch which then plummeted further with an ACL injury. The 25-year-old has time on his side but he certainly will need to work on his impact in the final third if he is to continue at Real Madrid.
THE CENTRE-BACK POSITION AT REAL MADRID
Sergio Ramos is officially a Paris Saint-Germain player. Raphael Varane could be the next one heading towards the exit door as a new challenge awaits at Manchester United. I am yet to know of a club that has lost both its first choice centre-backs in the same transfer window and then decide not to sign a replacement.
According to Marca, Jesus Vallejo will be the natural replacement for Varane if he is to leave. Vallejo who has struggled all his career post his Eintracht Frankfurt days is expected to play second to fiddle to David Alaba and Eder Militao. This itself sounds absurd and I’m not too sure what thoughts are going through Florentino Perez’s mind.
Nonetheless, it would be far too foolish to not sign an immediate replacement for Varane. There are plenty of options in the market and Los Blancos have to look no further than two promising La Liga centre-backs, Pau Torres and Jules Kounde.
But signing either centre-backs looks almost impossible since Los Blancos are fixated on the idea of signing Kylian Mbappe as they are obsessed with the Frenchman. It’s a complicated situation at the moment, but Ancelotti will definitely require a centre-back if Raphael Varane also leaves the club this summer.