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With Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, Real Madrid are ready to kick start the new La Liga season. Real Madrid had to reluctantly surrender their 2019-20 La Liga crown to neighbors Atletico Madrid after a disappointing showing last term.
Los Blancos finished two points behind eventual champions Atletico Madrid, fighting tooth and nail for the Spanish championship last season.
Zinedine Zidane was rehired in 2019 by the club's hierarchy in an attempt to replicate the Frenchman's first stint with Real Madrid. However, to their dismay, the 49-year-old tactician could only produce two pieces of silverware in his second spell, including a reclamation of the La Liga title in 2019-20.
Real Madrid's recent record in La Liga
Los Merengues have acquired the bragging rights in La Liga by the sole virtue of hard work, winning the Spanish top-flight a record 34 times. Their closest rivals, Barcelona, are comfortably behind with 26 titles to their name. However, Real Madrid are going through somewhat of a dry patch regarding their league form, since the dawn of the current millennium.
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The men in white have experienced a tremendous run on the European stage, winning four Champions League titles in the last decade. Nevertheless, Real Madrid have only managed a paltry seven La Liga wins in the past 21 years, failing to clone their continental success at a domestic level.
With the recent departure of Zidane, the second-most decorated manager in the club's history, the Spanish giants are presently at their competitive lowest.
Keeping their current plight in mind, let's take a look at 5 potential concerns that may end up derailing Real Madrid's upcoming La Liga season:
#5 A paper-thin defence
The conclusion of the 2020-21 season saw Real Madrid net their record low of 67 goals in the league. However, a defensive masterclass from their recruits at the back kept Los Blancos' season afloat. The likes of Eder Militao, Nacho Fernandez and veteran Raphael Varane shone in the absence of club-legend Sergio Ramos.
Fast forward two months and the La Liga stalwarts have already bid adieu to the core of their rock-solid defence. While contractual disputes prompted Ramos to leave his home for16 years, his centre-back partner Varane was cajoled by Manchester United's latest project.
To compensate for this colossal loss, Real Madrid initiated the free transfer of Bayern Munich's David Alaba. Even so, the 29-year-old Austrian is primarily a left-back, capable of being deployed in the center.
Dani Carvajal's consistent struggles with injuries, coupled with Alvaro Odriozola's mediocre abilities, complete a problematic defence line. With just seven players competing for the back-four positions, Real Madrid distinctly lack the adequate depth to see off a successful La Liga campaign.
#4 Florentino Perez and his obsession with the European Super League
In April 2021, the concept of a European Super League, comprising the continent's elites, was officially announced with Florentino Perez at its helm. Not only did Real Madrid's president spearhead the infamous operation but also presided as chairperson.
The proposed league was condemned by the entire footballing world, fans and managers alike. Numerous players, including Ander Herrera, James Milner, Patrick Bamford and many more, went out of their way to speak up against the commencement of such a competition.
Amidst all this commotion, Perez held a conference where he disparaged everything that the beautiful game stood for, making comments like,
"We have been working on this for two years. It's a format to prevent football, which is losing interest, from dying. We are not excluding anyone, but everyone can't be there. A Roma-Sampdoria has less interest than a Manchester [United]-Paris Saint-Germain."
In response to the severe backlash, every single club involved with the notorious ESL, barring Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, parted ways with the competition and issued a public apology to their fans.
However, Perez remains adamant about the fruition of such a league, labeling it the 'future of football'. With Real Madrid and their president at the center of such a grievous controversy, the unnecessary attention could have adverse effects on the club's La Liga season in 2021-22.
Also read: 5 reasons why Barcelona can win La Liga (2021-22)
#3 The deadwood in the La Liga giants' squad
Real Madrid enter the new La Liga season with a depleted team, lacking massively in terms of quality. The 13-time Champions League winners are still heavily reliant on aged players.
A 33-year-old Karim Benzema, solely held the attacking mantle at the Bernabeu last season, scoring 23 of Madrid's 67 goals in the league. Even Luka Modric, the team's chief creator, is nearing the age of 36.
Barring a few proven prospects like Federico Valverde and Thibaut Courtois, the La Liga giants majorly uphold a huge chunk of deadwood on their books. Isco has been a Real Madrid player since 2013 but is currently living out his days in the Spanish capital as an outcast. At 29 years of age, the midfielder is spending the prime of his professional career, warming benches in Madrid.
The most curious case of the bunch is undoubtedly Gareth Bale, who was ousted from the club to Tottenham last season. The Welsh talisman may not be in Real Madrid's plans, but remains contracted to the La Liga club, pocketing a huge wage of €692k per week.
Even the duo of Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard, bought by the club in the fanatical €350m spending spree of 2019, have played a combined total of just 3,455 minutes.
With so many non-essential players in the squad, Real Madrid have no room left to revamp their team for the upcoming La Liga season.
#2 Carlo Ancelotti's recent record
Carlo Ancelotti, in his illustrious 26-year-long managerial career, has managed to secure significant silverware wherever he has gone. The Italian tactician is one of the few coaches to have won league titles in four of the top five European leagues. He famously masterminded Real Madrid to their 10th Champions League title, procuring 'La Decima' in emphatic fashion.
However, ever since his departure from the Bernabeu in 2015, Ancelotti has experienced a steep decline in his managerial record. After registering a career-high 2.36 points-per-game in two years as Real Madrid boss, the expert strategist moved to Bayern Munich.
After leading them to their heaviest Champions League group-stage defeat at the hands of PSG, the former Milan coach was sacked with immediate effect.
Following an underwhelming spell with Napoli, Ancelotti was appointed Everton manager in a move that shocked the entire footballing world. Many questioned the 62-year-old's current pedigree as he led the Toffees to a lowly 12th place finish in his debut season, their worst in 16 years.
Now back with Real Madrid, Ancelotti has a lot of work to do to redeem his reputation. However, the fact that La Liga is the only league that the veteran has managed in but not conquered, could end up being more than just a bad omen.
#1 The financial situation of Real Madrid
In recent months, Barcelona have hogged all the spotlight for themselves. From Lionel Messi's departure to the accumulation of insurmountable debt, the Spanish media have had a field day with the Catalan club.
Amidst all this publicity for the La Liga giants, Real Madrid's financial woes have gone slightly under the radar.
The club has never shied away from splashing big in the transfer market with Real Madrid's 'Galacticos' strategy being a worldwide phenomenon. However, in the COVID-affected era, the former La Liga champions have succumbed to the hardships of the pandemic.
Over €100m was recouped through the sales of promising youngsters like Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Regulion, last season. Even so, Real Madrid barely managed to break even by not spending a single dime on transfers.
Coupled with the €600m redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid sit on a potential debt of €900m. With matchday revenue yet to be capitalized on, the 34-time La Liga winners are desperate for money.
As a result, potential transfers for superstars like Erling Haaland, Eduardo Camavinga and most notably Kylian Mbappe have been temporarily put on hold.
Real Madrid's only consolation at this time of crisis is that Barcelona are in a much worse condition than the Merengues.
However, with no signings and a gargantuan amount to be repaid soon, Los Blancos are in deep financial as well as tactical mess. This quandary consequently puts their hopes of winning the 2021-22 La Liga title firmly in jeopardy.
Also read: 5 reasons why Atletico Madrid may not win La Liga (2021-22)
