6 Obstacles for Real Madrid in the Hunt for Champions League Glory in 2015-16

So the Champions League stuck to its history in 2014-15, with Barcelona becoming the competition's fourth different winner in four seasons as the continent's greatest prize again proved indefensible—for the 25th consecutive year. 

Real Madrid, of course, were the ones unable to repeat as European Cup winners, falling short at the semi-final stage to eventual runners-up Juventus. 

But perhaps 2015-16 will be different for Los Blancos, the club no longer possessing the cursed mantle of defending champions. The path, however, to the pinnacle of Europe remains arduous, and Real Madrid face a number of significant obstacles they must navigate to reach Champions League glory next season. 

Across the following slides, we examine six such obstacles. 

Complications of Transition to a New Manager and New System

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Whatever the circumstances, managerial changes always present clubs with challenges, as teams and individual players become accustomed to working under a new figure with new ideas and new methods. 

But when the coaching handover involves the degree of contrast inherent in Real Madrid's situation, such complications can be greater. 

Indeed, whereas former Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was a diplomat, a fierce defender of his players and the owner of a cool and calming disposition, his successor, Rafa Benitez, is markedly different. The Spaniard is outspoken and sometimes confrontational. He's an obsessive tactician and defensive organiser, renowned for game-to-game adjustments, player rotation, enforcing discipline and wanting ultimate authority. 

Benitez is essentially the antithesis of Ancelotti. 

As such, the 2015-16 season is going to be one of significant change at the Bernabeu, and along with Benitez's unique approach will come a new system to adjust to. Many are expecting the former Napoli boss to implement his characteristic 4-2-3-1 for a Real Madrid side accustomed to a 4-3-3. 

Burnout of Stars Between Knockout Rounds

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One of the most evocative images of Real Madrid's season in 2014-15 came in the aftermath of the club's 4-3 defeat to Schalke, when sections of the Bernabeu waved white handkerchiefs in disgust at Real's haphazard performance. 

On that night, Los Blancos came perilously close to throwing away a two-goal advantage that had carried over from the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie, but the narrow escape didn't please the club's fans.

Yet, the circumstances leading up to that game need to be considered. In the week prior, Real had been made to fight and scrap in taxing battles with Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, the latter an end-to-end affair at the always-charged San Mames just 72 hours before the meeting with Schalke. 

In both of those games, Madrid used their very best lineup available, and when much the same XI met the German outfit after the quick turnaround, it looked leggy and lethargic. 

In 2015-16, those games between Champions League knockout legs must be approached with the effects of fatigue firmly in mind. 

Cohesion Issues of a Potentially Reworked Defence

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One of the aspects of Real Madrid's recent history that has frustrated the club's fans has been the high annual turnover, with the Bernabeu's ever-revolving door denying Los Blancos the opportunity to build cohesion and continuity. 

In 2015-16, after years of high-profile adjustments in attack, Real Madrid's defence might be the area that witnesses the overhaul. 

Arriving from Porto will be right-back Danilo, who, having cost €31.5 million, will be difficult for Rafa Benitez to sit on the bench behind Daniel Carvajal given the pressure likely to come from president Florentino Perez to play the expensive signing. 

Centrally, Sergio Ramos might not be available, with the star defender having told Real Madrid he wants to leave, according to both the Guardian and Marca. Were Ramos to depart, could Real replace the Andalusian with Nicolas Otamendi, Shkodran Mustafi or Aymeric Laporte? Perhaps someone else?

Additionally, David De Gea is widely expected to join Real from Manchester United, a move that would push Iker Casillas and Keylor Navas aside.

As such, two or three of the five positions in Real Madrid's defence could regularly be held by new faces next season, creating cohesion obstacles that must be overcome.  

Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid

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During Real Madrid's 14-year dominance over Atletico Madrid between 1999 and 2013, there was one banner inside the Santiago Bernabeu, according to the Guardian's Sid Lowe, that demanded a "decent opponent for a worthy derby."

For 14 years and 25 games, Real Madrid didn't have one in the capital. 

They do now. 

Since defeating Real in the 2013 Copa del Rey final, Diego Simeone's Atletico have been a ferocious adversary for Madrid's glamour club. Atletico have won three of the last four league meetings and drawn the other. In 2014-15, the teams met eight times, and Simeone's men were beaten only once, winning on four occasions to snatch away the Spanish Super Cup and cause irreparable damage to Real's league and Copa del Rey campaigns. 

Though Real Madrid scraped past their neighbours in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atleti have their measure. And it means Los Blancos now have two domestic rivals to compete with in Europe who have a rich recent history of success over them. 

Strengthening Rivals Possessing Greater Continuity

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Every summer, an array of Europe's big clubs strengthen via the transfer market. It will happen again this summer; it's nothing new. 

But what's notable ahead of the 2015-16 season is that many of the continent's heavy-hitters will bolster their squads in the coming months while entering the new campaign under the same manager. 

In Spain, Luis Enrique will undertake his second year at Barcelona. At Atletico, Diego Simeone is entering his fifth year. And it's similar elsewhere. 

At Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola is set for his third season. Ditto for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Laurent Blanc at Paris Saint-Germain, while Massimiliano Allegri will take charge of his second campaign at Juventus.

As such, a number of Europe's powerhouses have a step on Real Madrid right now, leaving Los Blancos in a race against time to develop a comparable familiarity with a new boss. 

Their Own Ceiling

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Run your eyes across the current Real Madrid squad and carefully consider the depth of talent already on hand. 

There's a three-time Ballon d'Or winner, the world's most expensive player, three World Cup champions, a World Cup Golden Boot winner, 17 internationals, the LFP's reigning midfielder of the year and some of Europe's best young talent.

Is it possible to improve upon that? Well, yes. But is it easily done? Not at all. 

One of the issues that's gradually emerging for behemoths like Real Madrid and Barcelona is that their gobbling up of the world's finest talent is rapidly propelling them to saturation points—their natural ceilings. The better and more talented a team gets, the smaller the scope for improvement becomes. 

Real Madrid are in that very situation, finding themselves at a point where making significant improvements to the squad is difficult and where going to another level involves fine-tuning, eking the most out of every drop of talent. 

Thus, Real Madrid's answer doesn't lie in the transfer market; improvement must come from within. But that will mean smaller steps at the pointy end of the spectrum, while rivals who are still a distance off their ceilings potentially take bigger strides.