Helsinki, Finland – As Real Madrid begin their quest to win six titles in a single season, it is remarkable how calm and undisturbed the panorama is compared to the turmoil facing nearly every domestic and European rival. The tough challenge begins with the UEFA Super Cup here in Helsinki, against Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt, and begins the journey with the first game of LaLiga (in newly promoted Almeria this weekend) and progressing through the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. The Club World Championship, the journey finally ends next June.
Oh, and there is a “small” issue of the World Cup for most Los BlancosPlayers tucked neatly through November and December.
But the minimum one can ask before kicking the ball angrily is that the club, the team, the first team and the staff are in a state of harmony, hunger and happiness. So it was. There were departures (MarceloAnd the Gareth BaleAnd the Luka JovicAnd the Isco), but no significant player left the team that conquered Spain and Europe last season. Two important, clever and potentially impactful signatures have been added Aurelien Chuamini (First-class midfielder for world champion France) and as a free agent, Antonio RudigerHe is a very competitive defender who is used to winning things for club and country.
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This country scene of their club will look even more attractive to Madrid and madridista Both just take a side look at their competitors at home and around Europe.
Domestically, Barcelona are likely to be a more thorny contender than last year. But they are fighting an attrition, humiliating and simply humiliating battle to score new signings with LaLiga. If they can, keep playing. Unlike that? Madrid feature. However, other Spanish clubs such as Sevilla, Real Betis, Villarreal and Atlético Madrid were largely unable to bolster teams that fell short of Madrid’s requirements last year.
In England, Chelsea were noticeably weaker in both the first team and the squad in general. Moreover, under new ownership for the first time in two decades, it smells like a pungent odor of turmoil. no comparison with Los Blancos this summer.
Liverpool are progressing, still formidable and ambitious, but they didn’t want to lose Sadio Maneand while Darwin Nunez He has outstanding qualities, and this will be a huge season to learn and adapt to. However, Carlo Ancelotti does not have to deal with any of these factors.
Manchester City, admittedly, has it now Erling Haaland In the offensive line, in addition to the sensational Julian Alvarez, as a result, they often crush competitors. But Chelsea beat them in the market for their favorite left-back (Mark Cucurella), while departure Raheem SterlingAnd the Gabriel Jesus And the Oleksandr Zinchenko will feel the Bernardo Silva He clearly wants to leave for Barcelona as well. disturbance.
Tottenham Hotspur have arguably had the least turbulent summer among England’s top four – but are they really in good shape to topple the European champions? Meanwhile, no Serie A winner has proven to be a serious rival to Real Madrid in the Champions League in recent years, and none of the Italian brand-name clubs have been able to raise their threat level this summer.
Bayern Munich is Bayern Munich. They are proud, well-organised, well-trained and dangerous, if underestimated, but have proven just how afraid of losing they are. Robert Lewandowski Given how ferocious they were they tried to hold on to him and failed. During a long season, they will suffer from his absence.
Frankfurt, opponents on Wednesday in the European Super Cup, whom Ancelotti made absolutely clear he was determined to win, accepted a farewell to their spiritual leader totem, a fan favorite. Martin Hintergerare under intense pressure from Juventus to allow their prominent Serbian winger Filip Kostik to switch, and they were defeated 6-1 at home by Bayern last week (Stream the replay on ESPN+ in the US). None of these declines that Madrid had to suffer.
Which, in terms of serious competitors, leaves Paris Saint-Germain.
The French champions have sacked another coach – a bit like suggesting that September follows August – as well as the director of football. As such, there is quite a bit of “getting to know you” happening this summer at a club featuring three super attackers (Neymar, Lionel MessiAnd the Kylian MbappeThey will all be more focused on winning the World Cup than on the Ligue 1 or the Champions League.
However, and this is the only real spot on the Madrid skyline, PSG still boasts the ultimate phenomenon that is Mbappe. Well, his goals at Parc des Princes and Bernabeu were not enough for PSG to knock Madrid out of the Champions League last season, but this is the player that both Madrid president Florentino Perez, through Luka ModricAnd the Karim Benzema Most importantly, Ancelotti, who was categorically expecting to play in the world-famous white shirt and help cement a historic double with consecutive La Liga titles and the Champions League this season.
Modric recently spoke about the situation in the Croatian media. “Mbappe had every right to make up his mind, but now he has to live with his choice. We all thought he was coming to Madrid, but in the end, it wasn’t like that. So now what? He’s a great player, but I always say: Nobody is more important than The club. Madrid is above anyone and everyone else.”
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Julian Lorenz believes it is not too late for Isco to revive his career after joining Sevilla from Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Please do not confuse what this means. It’s not that Real Madrid will be in trouble, lack self-confidence or be embarrassed by Mbappe’s high-profile and protracted decision to stay in Paris rather than go free to the European champions. There is no chance. His absence, however, could be a huge factor in how Ancelotti’s side handle the Holy Grail – only Barcelona and Bayern have achieved it – in a potential six-title campaign.
Mbappe wasn’t justgalactic“Signed, the best player in the world joins Madrid in order to add luster and luster to global marketing, or to add the millions of ‘followers’ that the club can flog merchandise. No: we’re talking about a very talented 23-year-old, who has not yet reached The pinnacle of his career, he contributes much better than a goal per game in the Serie A and Champions League (combining goals and assists.) That’s 252 goals or assists in 236 games (a goal every 84 minutes)…Awesome.
However, Real Madrid have done absolutely nothing to try to replace the massive boost in goal-scoring that they’ve spent the past three years planning, saving for and plotting to launch. Unless they had an ‘Ace’ transfer market up their sleeves, how Mbappe’s decision affected what Ancelotti and the staff were up to, strategically speaking, would be remarkable.
It comes down to how Madrid will react.
In fact, the Italian stated that “the lineup is complete.” We’ll see, but that means if Los Blancos If they will emulate or surpass last season’s championships, then they will depend heavily on four factors: Benzema, ViniciusAnd the Rodrigo and the overwhelming competitive position that made them champions of Spain and Europe.
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“When you play for this club, then after every tournament, you immediately think ‘How are we going to win the next title?'” Modric continued. During the festivities in Paris, each of us started talking about how “from tomorrow” we all started working on winning the 15th Champions League, as if this were something “normal”. But this is not a position you can adopt: it should be in your acid nuclear”.
Lucas Vazquez He told Diario AS something similar last month. “Our secret is Real Madrid’s mentality. We never give up, we never lose until the final whistle, we all unite no matter what. We all know that whatever we’re up against, we can change it in an instant. It sounds cliched, but that’s what we do” .
Last season, Benzema, who turned 35 in December, scored 50 goals for club and country. What’s more, it was “Eureka!” player for madrid. When he was wanted, he produced a football genius. Vinicius became decisive, not only creative, and Rodrygo ended the season by producing so much magic that he felt he was able not only to complain to Ancelotti for his confrontation against Liverpool, but also to repeat the tale for the Brazilian media.
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Lucas Vazquez believes that Benzema (34) and Modric (36) represent a seismic change in elite football.
“They are examples not only for Real Madrid, but all over the world. They run as much or more than anyone else in our matches. Who would have thought that Luca is running our midfield at 36, playing better football now than when he arrived from Tottenham They expected Karim to be in the League.”picchi“that he would score 44 goals for the club at the age of 34, and also play better football now than when he was 29?”
There is an Antonio Pintus effect of titration as well. The 59-year-old Italian is notorious for the brutal pressure he puts on players’ physique. But look: no other team in the European leagues has scored more goals later than Real Madrid (defined as the last 15 minutes of a match). Looking at their age profile, this is amazing.
So, the whole process, save for Mbappe and the sure advantage he could have given them, except for anyone who signed up to replace what Madrid was counting on getting him to get, starts all over again.
I’ll give Lucas the last word. “From the moment we started pre-season it was on our mind: ‘Win the European Super Cup, win the La Liga, win the Champions League, win the Spanish Super Cup, win the King’s Cup, win the Club World Cup. Win a lot!'”
Can they?
