Real Madrid's 5 Greatest Weaknesses and How to Solve Them
After their draw with Osasuna in Pamplona at the weekend, Real Madrid have slipped five points behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
It’s not an insurmountable gap at this point of the season—Atleti and Barca still have to play each other twice, for a start—but the draw at El Sadar does highlight that Carlo Ancelotti’s side are not quite the slick machine they had begun to resemble recently.
Weaknesses are part and parcel of football. Whether you’re Bayern Munich or Burnley, you can no doubt find an area where you can improve—Los Blancos are no different.
Fortunately Ancelotti has a squad full of ability and a checkbook full of Euros, so solving deficiencies isn’t as tough for the Madrid manager as it is for managers of other clubs.
B/R takes a look at five problem areas which Madrid may need to brush up on as they look to make a tilt for the title in 2014.
Right-Back Rotation
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Alvaro Arbeloa and Dani Carvajal are two very capable defenders who have both had good and bad games as Real Madrid’s right-back this season.
But that’s the problem.
Neither of them has had a run of form to really make that position his own and, as a result, Ancelotti continues to rotate between the two—which is the second problem.
Perhaps it’s time for the Italian to show his colours, pick his favourite and let them play themselves into form with the confidence of knowing that, as long as they play well, the position will continue to be theirs.
Defensive Depth
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At the start of the season, Los Blancos seemed well covered defensively.
The arrival of Carvajal gave them two solid right-backs, while the fact Fabio Coentrao didn’t get whisked away on transfer deadline day left them with two excellent candidates to fill the left side of defence—Marcelo the other.
Centrally, the mix seemed perfect. Captain in the continued absence of Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos could either be paired with the experience of Pepe or the youthful brilliance of Raphael Varane.
However Varane has been plagued by niggling injuries, which are becoming a trademark of his short career, and Ramos has been plagued by red cards recently, leaving Madrid worryingly short at the back for this weekend’s trip to Valencia.
Another central defender may be a necessity, so it’s no surprise Madrid have been linked with a move for Real Sociedad’s Inigo Martinez in Marca.
Reliance on Alonso
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Marcelino said after his Villarreal side lost to Barcelona on Saturday that the game changed when Xavi came on. He was right.
And while the Catalans struggle to manage the process of building for life post-Xavi, Madrid face a similar challenge with Xabi Alonso.
Manchester United enjoyed a great 45 minutes at Old Trafford last season when Sir Alex Ferguson effectively man-marked Alonso with Danny Welbeck, limiting Madrid’s attack-launching pass-master.
Since then, Madrid have only really began to find top gear this season since the Basque midfielder’s return to the first team, so it’s so important that they keep the 32-year-old fit and get him to pen a new contract as soon as possible.
In the meantime, they’ll have to hope he can pass some knowledge on to Asier Illarramendi.
Midfield
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Xabi Alonso has been superb since he’s come back into the side, Luka Modric has been largely brilliant throughout 2013, and Isco has scored and created important goals since day one.
However there is still a lingering feeling that Ancelotti has not quite stumbled upon his best midfield.
Injuries have been cruel to him. He was denied Alonso for a long period at the start of the season, and when he’d at last seemed to settle on a midfield three, Sami Khedira was ruled out for the majority of the season.
Now it seems the midfield is set in a 2-1 formation, with Isco perched in front of Alonso and Modric. It’s been, Osasuna aside, fairly successful in reducing the number of goals Madrid were conceding for a short spell earlier this season.
They have at times been ostracised from Madrid’s attacking play, though: Isco has three assists, Modric two and Alonso none—he managed five last season—so Ancelotti will be keen to find away to get them more involved in the final third in 2014.
The signs, particularly from Isco and Modric, have been there of late.
Inconsistent Benzema
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Karim Benzema gets a lot of stick from people close to Real Madrid and people not close to Real Madrid as well—too much.
However it is true, despite a purple patch every now and again, that he is unlikely to hit the heights set by Cristiano Ronaldo and, in recent weeks, by Gareth Bale.
The Frenchman works hard and is appreciated by his colleagues, but he’s just one dry patch away from being whistled by the Bernabeu crowd again—as he already has been this season.
If not in January, then in the summer, the 25-year-old will surely depart the Bernabeu for a new challenge, somewhere he’ll be loved and appreciated, and a new predator replaces him to sandwich between Ronaldo and Bale.
All quotes and paraphrased statements obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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