4 Reasons to Believe Real Madrid Will Win La Liga in 2015/16
By their own extremely high standards, Real Madrid will write 2014-15 off as a car crash.
It ended with a popular manager, Carlo Ancelotti, being sacked, as the club went from euphoria of winning La Decima to rolling in a pit of despair as their archrivals Barcelona won the treble.
However, at the start of every season, there is optimism for what lies ahead, and with a squad and history like Real Madrid's, there is every reason to be hopeful.
Having seen Barcelona collapse in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup 4-0 to Athletic Club, doubly so.
Here are four reasons to believe Real Madrid can win the title this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo Will Be out to Reclaim His Throne
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Where else to start than with Real Madrid's star player? Cristiano Ronaldo, who turns 31 during the season, is still going strong.
He ended last season with a personal best of 61 goals, showing that although he is changing physically, his predatory instincts are still the same.
Ronaldo crashed, smashed and bashed in 48 league goals, finishing five ahead of Lionel Messi in the race for the Pichichi.
On top of this, he rifled in 10 Champions League goals, plus two in the UEFA Super Cup and one in the Copa del Rey.
Even Ronaldo's staunchest supporter wouldn't deny that Messi is firm favourite for the next Ballon d'Or when it is awarded in January, given the trophy success he has enjoyed.
That means Ronaldo's campaign to get it back starts now, even though he's still the current holder. In this game, you can't take your foot off the pedal for a moment.
The Portuguese is motivated by personal goals, and this is what has driven him to become one of the best players of all time.
And you expect he will be running off of that same drive and determination in the season ahead.
Bad Luck with Injuries Can't Last Forever
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Real Madrid got extremely unlucky with injuries to key players at the wrong times last season.
The most painful blow to suffer was losing Croatian midfielder Luka Modric in November, an injury that kept him out until March.
It was during that spell Madrid lost their form and rhythm, ending their 22-game winning streak by being beaten at Valencia.
Modric returned and was instantly important again. It was only after the Croatian tired during El Clasico at Camp Nou that Barcelona began to take control of the game.
There was also Sergio Ramos' injury, which again arrived at an inopportune moment.
The centre-back was ruled out between February and March, missing seven games, including the 4-0 humiliation by Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.
Jese Rodriguez, meanwhile, came back from a bad injury midway through the season, but it was too late to convince Carlo Ancelotti to use him.
Although the start of this season has seen problems for Karim Benzema, Ronaldo, Ramos and Fabio Coentrao, Madrid will be praying their recent bad luck with injuries will soon come to an end.
Rafa Benitez Can Tighten the Defence Up
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Real Madrid have a fearsome arsenal of attacking players, but nobody praises the defence in such gushing tones.
That's not because they don't have good players. The likes of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raphael Varane and Marcelo are among the best in the world in their respective positions.
Benitez has already shown himself to be a defensive-minded coach, with Madrid looking a lot tighter and more organised during their pre-season friendlies.
They've let in two goals in the seven pre-season matches they have played so far, conceding against Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Bringing Casemiro back from Porto also signifies that an extra fighter in midfield will sometimes be deployed.
It might not be pretty, and some of the football purists may take offence, but you can win a title with an excellent defence, while individual talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez can all win matches by themselves up front.
By contrast, Barcelona's defence has started the season looking very leaky indeed, shipping eight goals in two games against Sevilla and Athletic Club.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has already let in 50 per cent of the number of goals he conceded last season.
Players Eager to Prove Themselves
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This is the most important reason. Real Madrid's squad will be stinging after last season. Players as good as these aren't accustomed to failure.
Senior members of the team will know they have to deliver this time around, having seen the league title evade them for three seasons running.
Sergio Ramos will be out to drown out any discontent over his summer transfer saga by performing at his best, marshaling the back line.
This may also be Raphael Varane's opportunity to show he has what it takes to be a first-choice centre-back.
Behind the defenders are two goalkeepers who also need to prove themselves. Kiko Casilla is new at the club and Keylor Navas can now become first choice after sitting behind Iker Casillas for a season.
With a move for David De Gea always on the horizon, both men will be looking to show Los Blancos why they don't need the Manchester United stopper.
Meanwhile, youngsters and new players such as Lucas Vazquez, Jese, Danilo and Denis Cheryshev will all be looking to capitalise on any opportunities they get as they try to bed in at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And that goes for some of the more established stars too. Gareth Bale had a fine first season with Real and a disappointing second one. Third time's a charm?
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