Real Madrid enter the new La Liga season as challengers. The transfers this summer were not only promising with a view to the future. But with Jude Bellingham, coach Carlo Ancelotti is threatened with a balancing act. A check on the Royals.
The situation in La Liga certainly frustrated Real fans last season. The Royals finished ten points behind arch-rivals Barcelona in the final standings, with 24 wins to six draws and eight defeats. At times, it seemed as if coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team was simply giving away league games. Real lost three of the five Clasicos in the 2022/23 season – too much for the Madridistas’ self-image, who were also mercilessly shown the limits by triple winners ManCity in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League (0:4).
How did the transfer window go?
Real Madrid only really spent money on one potential new key player this summer: the transfer of Jude Bellingham (20/midfield) brought more than 100 million euros into Borussia Dortmund’s coffers. The 20 million euros for Arda Güler (18/midfield) were an investment in the future. The deal with Fran Garcia (23/Rayo Vallecano) should mean that David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger or even high-flyer Eduardo Camavinga are “misused” as left-backs as rarely as possible – in preparation, Ancelotti tested the Spaniard in rotation with Ferland Mendy.
Brahim Diaz (23), who returned from Milan, fills the gap left by the departure of Marco Asensio (27/to PSG). Two centre-forwards, Karim Benzema (35/to Al-Ittihad) and Mariano Diaz (29), left the club, so that there is currently only one real attacker in the squad with Joselu (33/arrived from Espanyol), who was loaned out in the summer.
What gives hope, what gives concern?
It is precisely in that strike centre that Spanish media see the targeted transfer of Kylian Mbappé as a “necessity, not a whim”, as Marca put it plainly after the 3-1 defeat to Juventus Turin. Real scored five goals in the first two tests of the summer preparation against Milan (3:2) and ManUnited (2:0), before suffering sobering defeats in the “Texas-Clasico” against Barcelona (0:3) and against Juve.
Ancelotti, however, was far more critical of the defence after the Juve defeat than he was of the offence, which also hit aluminium five times against Barça, for example. The counter-attacking protection of the royals did not fit at all, which displeased the Italian head coach. The Spanish press described the fact that Bellingham looked downright “desperate” in his new role as a ten-man as a cause for concern.
The constantly sought-after ball distributor and driver at Dortmund, Bellingham craved contact with the ball, often dropped himself and thus disregarded his intended role. For Ancelotti, it could be a balancing act not to lose the England international on the ten.
The line on which Bellingham sometimes walked at Dortmund was sometimes narrow. His strength of opinion did not always go down well with his teammates. In Glasgow, for example, he complained in harsh terms to the much older Nico Schulz, and shortly afterwards in Augsburg, top talent Youssoufa Moukoko felt Bellingham’s displeasure. In Madrid, names and egos are much bigger.
However, the extremely broad squad of the capital club behind the attacking centre definitely gives hope, with which the competition – also from Barcelona – cannot keep up. The midfield alone with Bellingham, Brahim Diaz, Güler, Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni (23) and Fede Valverde (25) reads extremely well. And this list is even missing Toni Kroos (33) and Luka Modric (37), who may be entering the final year of their careers.
The forecast
In the role of the hungry hunter, Real will once again demand everything from Barcelona this season. If the royals get through the first phase well with three away games in a row (Bilbao, Almeria, Vigo), they can also quickly become the hunted. Real are feared in the top flight anyway. If the Blancos transfer their Champions League mentality to the situation even more often, Barcelona will have to stretch a lot to defend their title. Real will start the Copa del Rey as defending champions for the first time since 2015.
