Cristiano Ronaldo More Important Than Ever in Real Madrid's Early Turbulence
Eight months still stand between now and the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, but it's already difficult to shake the sense that Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid are entering a crucial stretch.
Facing a tricky run of fixtures, the presence of such a perception highlights how rapidly the situation has changed at the Bernabeu in the space of a month.
It was only 29 days ago when Real Madrid cruised past Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, capturing the first of six possible titles while still basking in the warm glow of La Decima.
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Ronaldo and Gareth Bale put on a blistering display that evening, Toni Kroos looked supreme, Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso were still in the club's possession, and manager Carlo Ancelotti's position appeared strong, leaving a distinguishable whiff of impending dominance to surround the European champions.
But as domestic football returns after the international break, the situation couldn't be more different.
Di Maria has been controversially sold, Alonso has fled to Munich to the shock of Ancelotti, Ronaldo has criticised the club's transfer policy, Sami Khedira is injured again, new stars haven't been fully integrated, the Spanish Super Cup has been lost to Atletico Madrid, a capitulation occurred against Real Sociedad, and according to Diego Torres of El Pais (as relayed by Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC), players have even discussed whether Ancelotti might be sacked by Christmas.
Set as a backdrop to those concerns has been Ronaldo's lingering battle with injury.
An eventful month if ever there was one. And it's why Real Madrid are already facing a critical period in their season.
Starting with the derby against Atleti on Saturday, Los Blancos are facing a 10-game stretch in which they'll face their two La Liga title rivals, a strong Athletic Bilbao, awkward away fixtures to Deportivo, Villarreal and Levante and a Champions League clash with Liverpool.
In a period of instability, Real need Ronaldo—the fully fit Ronaldo, not the underdone one—to lean on if they're to successfully navigate that path.
| Sep. 13 | La Liga | Atletico Madrid | Home |
| Sep. 16 | UCL | Basel | Home |
| Sep. 20 | La Liga | Deportivo La Coruna | Away |
| Sep. 23 | La Liga | Elche | Home |
| Sep. 27 | La Liga | Villarreal | Away |
| Oct. 1 | UCL | Ludogorets | Away |
| Oct. 5 | La Liga | Athletic Bilbao | Home |
| Oct. 18 | La Liga | Levante | Away |
| Oct. 22 | UCL | Liverpool | Away |
| Oct. 26 | La Liga | Barcelona | Home |
It's worth remembering that the continental champions have a patchy recent record against Diego Simeone's side and look a less settled outfit than Barcelona right now. Points have also been dropped in recent visits to Deportivo, Villarreal and Levante, where they'll soon visit.
That's not to say Real can't emerge victorious from those encounters, but in the typically tight top end of the Spanish league table, there's little margin for error as Los Blancos look ahead.
Of course, one would expect Ancelotti's men to thrive in the impending stretch if all seemed well at the Bernabeu. But it's not.
In the absence of Di Maria and Alonso, there's little balance to be found in Ancelotti's XI. In Kroos, Luka Modric, James Rodriguez and Isco, the Italian has too many artists and not enough labourers. There's simply no one at his disposal ready to get his hands dirty.
Unless Kroos or Modric can be moulded into a holding midfielder, that situation will place a heavy burden on the team's attack, particularly Ronaldo. Two goals, after all, weren't enough against Real Sociedad.
There are peripheral distractions, too.
In the wake of Ronaldo's criticism of the sales of Di Maria and Alonso, Sergio Ramos was forced to answer questions on the topic while the Argentinian's public spat with Florentino Perez won't go away.
Even the president's announcement of Real's record €603.9 million revenue hasn't helped, highlighting Perez's apparent obsession with notoriety and financial dominance that still hasn't led to a deluge of trophies.
Suddenly, Real are engulfed in a situation that seemed unlikely just a month ago, now essentially forced to start again rather than smoothly building on the triumph of last term.
Ronaldo stands as the key man in that task, owning an importance and influence his teammates can't match.
One feels that a Ronaldo scoring barrage could quell the surprising turbulence at the Bernabeu. With a series of lethal strikes, the Portuguese could rekindle his team's fear factor that has taken a recent hit, undoubtedly quelling any build-up of pressure on men such as Ancelotti and Rodriguez.
If the 29-year-old put together the sort of run witnessed in last season's Champions League or in his staggering 2011-12 La Liga campaign, Real could emerge from the impending stretch unscathed, leading the title race while being afforded the time to locate a sense of balance and cohesion.
Only a Ronaldo firing on all cylinders, however, is capable of doing so.
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