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Real Madrid is one of the most, if not the strongest clubs in world football. Their past few results have been downright pitiful and for the reigning three-time European Champions, it's uncharted territory, to say the least.
They have not been able to put up a convincing performance since the mauling of Roma at the Bernebau back in September, and to the manager, fans and players alike, it feels like a lifetime ago.
The backroom staff and playing squad have undergone a lot of changes since the win over Liverpool, and any reshuffle like this was always going to hamper the chances of the team continuing on the rich title winning vein they were in (at least in Europe).
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The club lost it's most influential coach and player in one fell swoop, and the team after suffering a few injuries are struggling to replace those who departed.
Lopetegui's training methods differ from that of Zidane's as the team looks to emulate a free-flowing possession-based system.
This was the same system that was followed by the Spanish National team under Julen Lopetegui, and Real is taking notably fewer shots from outside the box, which became a trademark for them under Zidane.
A few promising signs here and there have been on show, but mostly it has not been up to standard and things need to improve or else the coach could be in trouble. Here are my observations from this game week.
#1 Ronaldo is missed
Despite the fans' reluctance to admit it ( and more importantly, the board's) Cristiano Ronaldo is missed.
After seeing Real gel well in preseason and at the beginning of the LaLiga campaign, the early signs looked good. Great even.
The Spanish contingent of the team was really coming along and it looked like a Perez masterstroke to sell a player past his best at a profit.
This move was also helping youngsters like Asensio (more on him later), Mariano etc. to flourish and players like Bale and Isco to cement their own places in the team.
Everyone thought with no more Ronaldo popping up in goalscoring areas meant other players would share the goals around with each other, and that looked the case till 20th September (The Roma game).
Then the rails fell off. Gareth Bale is a top 10 player when he's fit and on song, but the Welsh Superstar has been injury prone in the past few seasons, and he has not been able to stay fit for the entirety of a season since his debut campaign (for which he arrived with a knock).
And while he is amazing, he cannot suddenly be expected to bang in 30 plus goals a season. Ronaldo, for all his flaws, was a perfect goalscorer, and his aura alone sends a shiver down the spine of any defender on the planet.
Even when we saw the best of the players we expected to turn up this season, they always had the world's best player (arguably) occupying the attention of two or more defenders, opening up spaces for others to exploit.
Not purchasing a player to even attempt and play the same role or take up the same spaces was foolish.
Surely an investment in Hazard or a player of a similar ilk could have gone a long way in helping a manager whose team is bereft of any real attacking threat since the departure of their record goalscorer, and all it took was two to three short injuries to derail their early season momentum.
#2 The Midfield
While it has not been a huge area of concern, Casemiro's on the ball ability leaves others around him to do a lot of heavy lifting, including the centre-backs who seem more composed on the ball than he does.
Don't get me wrong, he's still arguably one of the best midfield enforcers in the world, but other than breaking up attacks his overall play leaves a lot to be desired.
Marcos Llorente was one of the best deep-lying midfielders in his season at Alaves, and he has not gotten a fair shot at the team.
His Instagram posts over the summer show that he has bulked up quite a lot from last year and has added a strong physicality to his already amazing list of traits.
He would also add tremendous on the ball ability and an uncanny ability to cut passing lanes that are bettered by very few in world football.
Luka Modric is not getting younger and a return for Kovacic next campaign should be met with open arms and assurances of playtime.
#3 Where will the goals come from (at least till January)
Well, this is a tough one and one that a lot of people, including the Madrid top brass, are asking themselves.
There is a serious shortage of goals at Real Madrid right now and some of it is just down to sheer bad luck ( Los Blancos hit the post thrice in this match, twice against CSKA).
The club spent eight hours and a minute before Marcelo smashed one in late in the game, there were a lot of factors influencing that damning stat which is a new club record by the way. Excellent goalkeeping performances, lack of luck and just poor finishing.
In his nine seasons at Madrid, Benzema has only hit 20+ La Liga goals twice in his career and had his best season in Zidane's first year in charge when he scored 24 league goals (career high). That was a lifetime ago.
Since then Benzema has had a lot of injuries and has lost more than a yard of pace and his killer instinct, ending last season with a career low of five league goals. He used to be the glue that held together the famous BBC trio, popping up with goals and assists at key moments, cementing his status as one of the best to have stepped on the pitch for Los Blancos.
But to suddenly expect a striker so massively underperforming for the last two years (at least in front of goal) to score every week was never gonna work out, and the board should have thought of that.
Asensio has amazed and frustrated in equal amounts, and he continues to be an enigma. Los Blancos fans are still waiting for the Asensio that destroyed Barca over two legs to show up again but he has tried and failed.
The club should try and recruit the necessary firepower soon but should wait for the summer if a player like Mbappe or Neymar becomes available instead of settling for Hazard.
#4 Courtois was an unnecessary purchase
While winning the Golden Glove at the World Cup and being one of the most impressive goalkeepers for the past few years in world football, Courtois' arrival seemed to have disturbed the back line a little, and the defense will take time to adjust to a new keeper and his demands of them.
His arrival seems pretty redundant as he has not made the Real Madrid goal airtight, and so far he has not done anything that Keylor Navas cannot.
Los Blancos needed a marquee signing this summer following big-name departures at the club, but they have made it in the wrong department. It was not a pressing need as Navas is a great goalkeeper capable of as much if not more than Courtois.
The jury is still out on the big Belgian. Will be interesting to see how his season develops.
#5 Dani Ceballos is gonna be clutch
Ok, this might not be the best of ideas, but it is one that a lot might be intrigued to see. Dani Ceballos needs to start in the El Clasico.
His performances over the last few weeks have shown he would be up to any challenge and has looked one of the few bright sparks during this dark time.
Starting him over a player like Kroos, Casemiro or Isco would be quite a call but is it a risk worth taking considering the kind of form he has shown, even against a defense like that of Atletico?
Messi has been ruled out for up to three weeks which does not make the coming El Clasico a walk in the park by any means, but it does make it a lot easier than it would have been with the Argentine maestro in the lineup.
Ceballos has the talent and hunger to become the best midfielder and has performed superbly against Barcelona during his time at Betis. Could this be his breakout year? I guess only the gaffer will know and decide.
#6 Players failing to step up
Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Isco and Benzema have had more poor showings than good ones.
While barring Benzema all these players had a busy year with the World Cup and the very needless UEFA Nations League, so they could be just jaded and in need of rest, given they all play pivotal roles in their NTs and have played a lot of minutes already.
Isco has been utterly disappointing and while he may be loved unanimously among the fanbase, he does need to increase his end product, as flicks and tricks look really good on Youtube and Instagram but they don't win you games.
It is high time that he steps up as the leader we all want him to be on the pitch, or he has a hungry Dani Ceballos waiting in the wings to displace him as the new prince in Madrid.
Benzema has been abysmal and barring his first few games of the season, he has not shown too much in attack to warrant a starting place over Mariano, who is waiting on the wings more than eagerly for a proper crack at breaking in the first eleven.
Vallejo has been nonexistent in the matchday squads since the pre-season friendlies, and Madrid needs to buy a proper Centre Back as a cover for Varane and Ramos.
Vinicius has struggled to get any real minutes with the first team squad and while he has proven he is a cut above the Segunda Division, and the first team struggling for that spark in the final third, he has looked on from the bench in most of the fixtures barring a brief cameo against Atletico where he had too little time to show us his ability.
Lopetegui has to give him an opportunity in the Champions League against weak opponents in Viktoria Plzen and gradually increase his minutes as the season grows.
