What Real Madrid need to do to compete for trophies next season

Casemiro’ s return will help Real Madrid

Casemiro will return to Real Madrid after a successful spell with FC Porto

Many expect Real Madrid to shift back to a 4-2-3-1 with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the double pivot, Gareth Bale on the left wing and Cristiano Ronaldo as the centre forward. While this system will certainly get the best out of the most expensive players in the world, there are still some doubts regarding the ability of a double-pivot of the Croat and German to withstand barraging midfields.

However, that is not a big concern as Benitez could always play either one of Kroos and Modric as the number 10 and let Casemiro guard the defence – this way, the team will be at its most balanced state.

This system also eradicated the need for another striker. With Ronaldo donning the centre forward role and Karim Benzema being used as a backup, the Blancos wouldn’t be needing a third person to warm the bench.

Getting the best out of Ronaldo and Bale

Gareth Bale has had to endure the jeers of fans after a very average season. He often seemed suffocated on the right wing and putting him back to the left almost guarantees fans to see the best of him. This comes as a great news for Bale aficionados as he can really win games all on his own from the left flank.

Ronaldo has metamorphosed into a pure striker in recent seasons. No longer do we see him receive the ball deep, run past defenders and finish the move by scoring. Now, he is a box player and one could guarantee him to score when the ball finds him there. Playing him as the number 9 further increases the number of times he receives the ball in the box and that, in turn, could increase the already astounding number of goals he scores each season.

Having both Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo playing to their strengths is exactly what the club needs

Another thing that has been slightly overlooked by the press is the number 10 role. One of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Isco and James is sure to play there more frequently – which is their natural and best position. When Isco was bought in 2013, he took over from Ozil and wreaked havoc in all games he played in that role after he made his name known to the world playing as a number 10 for Malaga. The same is the case for James as he displayed what he is truly capable of when playing just behind the striker.

Playing one of these two as the number would certainly bring the absolute best of Real Madrid in terms of pure attacking sense as three out of the front four would be playing roles that utilizes their full ability.

Or, Rafa Benitez could opt for a balanced XI by playing Luka Modric or Toni Kroos as the advanced playmaker – a role which revealed their world class abilities to the world. This would balance the entire system as a whole and Benitez would be wise to use this against teams like Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid’s possible XI in 2015/16

Another system that is being touted around in the papers is a 4-4-2 with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo as the center forwards. However, the chances of playing this system seems very unlikely as it doesn’t fully utilize the potential of the team’s midfield talent because of reasons mentioned earlier.

The new season is set to begin in a couple of months’ time and the former Valencia tactician has time to think his strategy to get the Merengues back to winning ways. The supreme quality of the players in the team means that they really don’t need to make any major signings – except, of course, adding one or two world class defenders.

---