Tag: Real Madrid

Real Madrid are reeling after losing El Clasico 4-0 in the second such embarrassment of Carlo Ancelotti's second stint at the club. The first time around, he and Madrid immediately turned things around and won the Champions League, so Madridistas are optimistic that this result could spark a turnaround. Although Real Madrid are loaded with enough attacking talent to keep up with Barcelona if Carletto can find a formula that gets everyone to click - and involves key bench players like Arda Guler and Endrick - their defense clearly looks a step below Barca's. Thibaut Courtois papers over a lot of errors in goal, but he wasn't there against Barcelona due to injury. And Dani Carvajal is done for the season with a torn ACL, taking a Ballon d'Or-caliber starter out of the Real Madrid back ...

As Real Madrid prepare to face 2021/22 Serie A champions AC Milan, they know they have to take serious stock of their squad and the major tactical deficiencies that Barcelona tore apart in their last game, Real Madrid have lost to Barcelona 4-0 before under the management of Carlo Ancelotti, who, in 2022, promptly responded to the humiliating defeat at the hands of Xavi by winning the Champions League with three straight Remontadas. Something feels different, though, about this season, because even though Real Madrid are the defending Champions League winners and added Kylian Mbappe and Endrick this summer, Barcelona are the ones in the lead in La Liga right now with a very fearsome playing style under new coach Hansi Flick. Ancelotti has his work cut out for him, but it sounds li...

Real Madrid have been thinking hard about finally making a push for a top right back on the transfer market next summer, as Dani Carvajal's season-ending injury has truly exposed a problem that has been lingering for a few years now. Backup Lucas Vazquez, despite being a right winger by trade, was largely good enough as Carvajal's backup, but now he's being entrusted as the starter for an extended period. Barcelona tore Vazquez to shreds in El Clasico last week, and it isn't the first time the Galician wide man has been left badly exposed defensively on the right flank. Real Madrid dream of signing Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold, a generational talent and the only right back who can rival Carvajal as the world's best right now. Alexander-Arnold is on an expiring contract...

Real Madrid have been hurting at the center back position since last season when both David Alaba and Eder Militao went down with ACL tears, and even though Alaba will be joining Militao back on the pitch soon, there's no guarantee the Austrian veteran will be as good as he was before the injury at the age of 32. Furthermore, Real Madrid were only able to weather the center back injury storm in 2023/24 because of the play of emergency replacements at other positions like Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Dani Carvajal. Tchouameni and Mendy have documented injury histories, and Carvajal himself is out with an ACL tear, leaving the right back position just as thin as the center back position behind nailed-on starters Antonio Rudiger and Militao. With the center back position d...