Why Real Madrid hasn’t been able to
win the Champions League?
Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in the whole world,
having an illustrious history in both La Liga and also the Champions League.
Real Madrid is home to some of the greatest players in the world like Ronaldo,
Zidane, Beckham, & most recently Cristiano Ronaldo. Players jump at the
single opportunity to join this Spanish giant due to the respect and history of
the club. But it’s the recent history which is difficult to digest as Madrid hasn’t
been able to win the Champions League and also they won the La Liga after some
time. So what’s the reason that this club filled with amazing talent is unable
to produce results at the biggest stage in club football.
Leaky Defense: Real Madrid’s defense presents goals to the
other team. It’s been often said that when a team is sound at the back, it lays
a strong foundation for the attack to build up and score goals. This hasn’t
been the case lately as Madrid has cultivated a habit of conceding goals. The
lapses in defense were covered up by the heroics of their captain Iker Casillas
whose string of saves justifies his title of one of the best goal keepers in
the open era. Casillas’s absence this year hasn’t helped Real’s cause. Pepe is
not my favorite defender. Always making some mistake, his performance off the
field is more talked about then his match performance. Marcelo and Coentrao are
good attacking full backs but questions are still asked about their defending.
The only good thing about the Madrid’s defense this year was the rise of a very
good young defender in Rafael Varane. Whenever Ramos goes out on the right, you
are sure Madrid will concede from the center. The substitute bench is also very
weak with only Raul Albiol and Monaco bound Carvalho in it. So if Madrid needs
to win another Champions League they have to bolster this defense especially as
they will have to face strong attackers like, Cavani, Hulk, Lukaku, Dzeko &
Gomez etc when they play in Champions League again.
Slow Midfield:
There is not much of a physical presence in the midfield, the only physical
player being Khedira. Apart from this the Madrid midfield is slow & old.
Alonso is arguably one of the best passers in the modern football but even he
has gotten old and Madrid can no longer rely on him. With a weak defense they
need strong and agile holding midfielders like Martinez, Yaya Toure, Luiz &
Schweinsteiger. Here also the backup is very weak, with only Essien who can
play that role of a box to box midfielder nicely but even he is going back to
Chelsea leaving the Madrid midfield in a big void. This gap will have to be
filled this summer with some good quality if they want to challenge teams in
Europe and even in Spain.
Inconsistent
attacking midfield: Apart from Ozil, who appears to be jaded most the
second half of the season; Madrid doesn’t have a player who can produce goals
& assists in every match. Modric is a quality player but he hasn’t yet
settled in nicely and could also be on his way out of Bernabau. Di Maria on his
day is one of the most feared wingers in the world but he rarely turns up on
the big matches and there is not a player in the squad with similar qualities
to replace him when needed. Kaka has been a failure since his big money move
from Milan as he has been injury plagued most of his time and when on filed he
isn’t able to reproduce the magic he once could. Except Callejon there are no
talented Madrid youngsters coming through their academy and hence they will
have to make a couple of good buys even in this department.
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| Lone Warrior |
Attack:
There is just too much over dependence on Ronaldo. I am personally not a very
big fan of either Benzema or Higuain. They must have scored many goals for
Madrid but we all know how easy is to score in Spanish La Liga with Barcelona
& Madrid surely going to finish with a 3 digit goal difference (WHAT!!!).
They both haven’t scored goals when they are needed the most and hence Madrid
always has to depend upon Cristiano Ronaldo to provide with the goals &
assists. Ronaldo also being a human can’t perform in every match and hence
Madrid has to make sure they can win matches even when Ronaldo is subdued. This
lack of support & lack of trophies doesn’t provide Ronaldo with any
motivation to stay at Madrid. So they should be happy to let go any one of the
attackers from Benzema and Higuain and buy a striker who will win them matches
single handedly.
Recommended transfers:
Luiz Suarez: A
bit of a character but this guy knows how to score goals and dribble past
defenders, He has flair and finishing and he is just the sort of player Real
Madrid needs.
Gareth Bale:
Currently the best player in the world. He can run down defenders all day long.
This year he has proved his goal scoring ability, also hitting some outrageous
shots in the process. This guy can provide Ronaldo the support he desires and
with both of them in a team you will surely get to see some wonder moments.
Neven Subotic/Matt
Hummels/David Luiz: To say in short Madrid needs to buy quality defenders,
it could be anyone but it’s high time that Madrid invested smartly in a
defender.
Edinson
Cavani/Hulk/Rooney: These are some more striking options available. These
are proven players at the international level and they guarantee you goals.
With some physical presence up front you never know Madrid could be in some
luck. Rooney is not in a proper frame of mind (Once Again), and this is a good
opportunity to make a bid for him. Rooney will be easily tempted with this and
also pairing Ronaldo & Rooney could be very lethal.
Gundogan/Phil Jones/Yaya
Toure/Silva/Nasri:To bolster the midfield they could sign anyone from the
above. Gundogan has been fantastic for Dortmund and being just 20 years old
shows he has a bright future ahead. Phil Jones is a very versatile player and
can play in midfield as well as defense and could be a good utility player for
Madrid. Yaya Toure has been one of the best box to box midfielder in the recent
past, with his physical presence he could easily be a driving force for any
team. Silva and Nasri could both be wonderful players with their flair and
dribbling skills. Nasri is a easy catch as he hasn’t often played for City and
when he plays he is not at his best. Both of these players are as good as Ozil
and can be very helpful for Real Madrid.
So whether Madrid will win the champions league next season
will largely depend on the players they bring in this summer. Personally I
don’t think they will win. Bayern Munich will still be a threat, Chelsea will
spend again and under Mourinho they will flourish and Barcelona will be there
with the arrival of Neymar helping their cause.
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