A Progress Report on Real Madrid's Summer Signings
In all their power, Real Madrid took a truly unique approach to business in the summer transfer window this year.
Of course, under the tenure of president Florentino Perez, it wasn't something we haven't seen before. But the point still stands: No one else does it the Real Madrid way.
Not content with the firepower of a squad fresh from the capture of the club's 10th European title, Los Blancos opted to disassemble the core of Carlo Ancelotti's side while characteristically pursuing the game's hottest properties.
With much fanfare, in came James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos. Out went Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso (the departure of the latter admittedly caught Real Madrid by surprise).
Elsewhere, the outstanding Levante and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas was signed, while Javier Hernandez was brought in on loan from Manchester United, adding yet more depth to the attack.
The wider consensus, there amid the extravagance, was that the European champions were repeating the mistakes of a decade earlier—that the club was again placing notoriety ahead of footballing sense.
But Real Madrid, with their new stars, are rapidly forcing us to retreat on that criticism, currently storming through Spain and Europe at a staggering pace.
Across the following slides, we reflect on how each of Real's new faces have fared at the Bernabeu thus far.
Javier Hernandez
1 of 4
Arrived From: Manchester United
Transfer Fee: Loan
Appearances: 8 (2 starts)
Key Stats: 3 goals; 1 assist
If Javier Hernandez arrived at Real Madrid in anticipation of seeing more playing time than he did at Manchester United, he's likely to be sitting in the dugout at the Bernabeu (he spends a lot of time there) feeling rather disappointed.
Indeed, minutes have been few and far between for the Mexican, who's become accustomed to playing the final minutes of a game with the result long-since decided.
Of course, forcing one's way into a team that includes forwards such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema was never going to be easy. But Hernandez would have felt confident of competing with the Frenchman, who, until now, has been a polarising figure in the Spanish capital.
Instead, Benzema has turned in the finest run of form in his career, leaving "Chicharito" with very little to do.
Worse still, when he did get his best chance to place pressure on Ancelotti's first-choice striker against Ludogorets in the Champions League, he endured a rough night and had his inferiority to Benzema illustrated when the Frenchman shone as a second-half substitute for the Mexican.
Keylor Navas
2 of 4
Arrived From: Levante
Transfer Fee: £8 million
Appearances: 2 (both starts)
Key Stats: 2 goals conceded; 6 saves
Able to share Javier Hernandez's feelings on playing time, Keylor Navas' status at Real Madrid is puzzling.
One of the finest shot-stoppers in world football in 2013-14, the Costa Rican was expected to play a major role at the Bernabeu amid the apparent decline of Real Madrid icon Iker Casillas.
The departure of Diego Lopez also made such a conclusion easy to reach.
But Carlo Ancelotti has placed his trust in Casillas to date, seeing the veteran Spaniard occupy the Real Madrid net more regularly than he has in several seasons and forcing Navas to largely sit and watch.
The former Levante star, therefore, finds himself needing to take a long-term view to his position at the club and might have to wait for Casillas to exit before becoming a permanent fixture in the Real Madrid XI.
James Rodriguez
3 of 4
Arrived From: Monaco
Transfer Fee: £63 million
Appearances: 18 (16 starts)
Key Stats: 7 goals; 6 assists; 37 key passes; 88.2 percent passing accuracy
The initial settling-in period was a difficult one for James Rodriguez after being the latest Real Madrid player to carry the Galactico tag.
His early-season form was indifferent, and in his presence, Carlo Ancelotti was forced into systematic changes as the team stuttered in the opening weeks of the campaign.
But those troubles now feel incredibly distant.
Appearing at ease in both midfield and forward roles, the Colombian is steadily justifying his exorbitant price tag and has established himself as a valuable piece in the rampant Real Madrid machine.
As expected, moments of sumptuous skill have been a feature of the 23-year-old's play, with his goal against Deportivo La Coruna and assist against Liverpool standing as fine examples.
Yet, perhaps more notable has been Rodriguez's willingness to do some of the dirtier work—something that was questioned upon his arrival.
A natural No. 10, the World Cup sensation has displayed an appetite to track back, hassle, tackle and intercept, shrugging aside perceptions of him as a one-way player and helping Real Madrid to achieve a certain sense of balance.
Toni Kroos
4 of 4
Arrived From: Bayern Munich
Transfer Fee: £20 million
Appearances: 18 (17 starts)
Key Stats: 1 goal; 7 assists; 94.5 percent passing accuracy
Many of the difficulties endured by James Rodriguez in the opening weeks of the season were also experienced by Toni Kroos.
Forced into a deeper role than those which he had played with Bayern Munich and Germany, Kroos' evolution into a new-wave Xabi Alonso has taken time at the Bernabeu.
Initially, the German found the two-way demands of "the Alonso role" troublesome, with his often-advanced positioning exposed by opposing sides who briefly found breaching the Real Madrid midfield rather painless.
But since Real Madrid's tense 2-0 victory over Villarreal in late September (the last time Los Blancos found themselves under significant pressure from opposing attacks), the former Bayern star hasn't put a foot wrong.
Now in supreme command of Carlo Ancelotti's midfield, Kroos has struck the balance previously achieved by Alonso and has added to it a smoothness that's made this Real Madrid team staggeringly attractive to watch.
Should he continue in such a manner, he'll be recognised as one of the finest players on the continent by season's end.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com and Squawka.
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