Real Madrid start their La Liga campaign today with a hope of winning the much coveted league which has eluded them for a long time. Madrid have won just one league title in the last eight years with Barcelona dominating the proceedings and also because of the rise of Atletico Madrid as a serious challenger. Zinedine Zidane begins his first full season as the Madrid season with a previous campaign bringing the eleventh Champions League crown back to the Bernabeu.
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Zidane has his fair share of critics as this job is his first in his managerial career, with the added pressure of being a Madrid boss which can be said as one of the most difficult jobs in football. The club have done basically nothing this summer as opposed to expectations, Zidane has not gone and spent millions on new faces but has entrusted the same squad to replicate last season's Champions League success.
This can be a unifying point for the team as the manager hasn't replaced a single player from his starting eleven which shows the trust that the manager has in his players.
Real Madrid, as a result of a buy back clause, have re-signed Alvaro Morata from Juventus and also brought back Marco Asensio from his loan stint a Espanyol. The attacking department for the Los Blancos is now completed with Morata's arrival and the defence too looks settled than ever before. The main question mark in this squad is that the squad had just one holding midfielder in Casemiro, who if injured can be a big miss for Real.
Zidane implemented a 4-3-3 formation last season ditching Benitez formation of 4-2-3-1 which wasn't yielding results as expected. Zidane averaged 2.5 points per match which can be said as enough to win the league this season. With the usual star attractions in Ronaldo, Bale and Modric; Madrid's success rests on Casemiro as his anchoring role plays a big part in the team's plans. He has established himself in the first team and the manager will hope for more academy graduates to make the cut.
Real have been imposed with a ban for two transfer windows starting from next January. That's why, the refusal to sign new players into the squad is seen as odd by all. Zidane has placed a lot of faith in his squad which is no doubt talented but at the same time is an ageing squad. Ronaldo, Benzema, Modric, Ramos and Marcelo are all above 28.
Kroos and Bale are 26 and 27, so it can be said as naive of a young manager to stay with the same squad for the entirety of the season. With an eye on all the trophies that they take part in, let's have a look at Real Madrid's fixtures this season month by month :
August:
Real begin their campaign with an away game against Real Sociedad followed by season's first home match against Celta Vigo. It is important to start the season with a bang and maintain the pressure on Barca and Atletico right from the word go. Expect Madrid to win their games in the first month rather easily.
September:
After the first international break of this season, Madrid will resume League duties with a home encounter with Osasuna who in recent times have done well against the Los Blancos. Osasuna are a tricky opponent for Real as they next visit Espanyol which is a tough place to go. Remaining home games against Villarreal and away game with Las Palmas are expected to be straight forward wins for the European Champions. If Real can avoid a defeat in this month, they can challenge Barca's supremacy at the top of the pile.
October:
Home games against Eibar and Athletic Bilbao should not be much of an issue but with added midweek games in Champions League and Copa Del Rey, the team can be complacent at times. Away fixtures are against Real Betis and newly promoted Alaves seem to be six points for the Galacticos. Real must go unbeaten in this month if they want to put a hold at the summit of the league.
November:
Home games against Leganes and Sporting Gijon are expected to be complete goal riot at the Bernabeu. In between these games comes the first big test of this season, a trip to the fortress, Vicente Calderon. Atletico are always a tough side to beat and at home, they become more difficult to beat. Atletico too will be challenging for the title and with them moving to a new stadium next season, this may be Real's last visit to the Calderon.
December:
Before the winter break, this month brings games that are difficult on paper and on the field too. Away trips to Barcelona and Valencia beckon this month along with a home fixture against Deportivo. The first El Clasico of the 2016-17 will have effects on the title race and Valencia too have been a bogey team for the Blancos in the past decade. If Madrid could go into the new year without a defeat in this month, Real could well go on to win the title.
January:
Granada are the first visitors in 2017 as Real face three home games in this month. The other visitors in the month of January are Malaga and Real Sociedad whereas Zidane's men pay a visit to Europa League champions, Sevilla. Sevilla are a difficult team to beat as Real must produce three points against Jorge Sampaoli's side.
February:
Espanyol are the only visitors to the Bernabeu this month as Real faces a busy month with three away trips. They face Celta Vigo, Osasuna and Villarreal on the road with a motive to win all the games handsomely as the season approaches to its business end.
March:
Two home games against relegation battlers, Real Betis and Las Palmas are expected to be convincing victories for Madrid. Away games to Eibar and Athletic Bilbao seem to be difficult to get through with all three points. The teams fighting for their survival are always tough to beat at the end of the campaign, so Madrid must be wary of these sides who can cause a upset.
April:
April is the busiest month in the La Liga as it features a staggering seven fixtures for every team. Away games to Leganes, Sporting Gijon and Deportivo are definite nine points along with home games against Alaves and Valencia. The remaining two encounters at the Bernabeu will decide the La Liga champion for the 2016-17 season.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona come calling as Real faces their biggest tests in the month of April. With these games being in the final few matches of the season, expect one of the three teams to suffer from fatigue. Barca almost lost out the title to Real last time around because of their three defeats in the month of April. Real must avoid this if they want to take the trophy back to the capital.
May:
Sevilla will be the last team to visit Bernabeu this season and Real will hope to give their fans one last chance to celebrate a victory at home. Away game to Granada starts the month of May whereas the Los Blancos end their season away to Malaga which means that probably Real will go unbeaten in their final few games of the season.
Predicted finish : 2nd
Real have the firepower to fight for the title till the end but they may just fall short because of their inactivity in the summer transfer window. The team has just one holding midfielder which can be a issue in an usual busy year for the Madrid club. Barca have the strength in depth to out muscle Real in the fight for La Liga crown. A lot rides on the hope that Real don't get injuries on their way as they look to stop Barca from winning three League titles on a trot.
This could finally be the year where Gareth Bale can break the shackles of Cristiano Ronaldo's domination at the club and announce himself as Real's new numero uno. He did splendidly well in the Euros and is expected to have a goal laden 2016-17 season for Real Madrid.
