Real Madrid’s latest galácticos in stormy waters early in the season

When Real Madrid finally signed Kylian Mbappe a few months ago, it was the conclusion of one of the most intriguing transfer stories of recent times. 

The Spanish club and the Frenchman had flirted shamelessly for years. As such it seemed inevitable that he would end up in the Spanish capital. With this eventually happening ahead of the 2024/25 season, Mbappe joined a Los Blancos outfit teeming with talent, from back to front.

From a solid backline marshalled by Belgian shot stopper Thibaut Courtois and featuring experienced charges such as Antonio Rüdiger and vice-captain Dani Carvajal, to a jam-packed midfield featuring Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, highly rated Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, plus seasoned playmaker Luka Modrić and Turkish starlet Arda Güler.     

On paper, the frontline appears to be as dangerous a pride of ravenous lions. Mbappe is undoubtedly the crown jewel. However, there are other precious gems, including the Brazilian trio of Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and wonderkid Endrick.

The European champions have an embarrassment of riches. In addition, Carlo Ancelotti (one of the greatest managers in soccer history) is charged with sewing all the pieces together. 

Lille loss

So far this season it has not been easy to achieve this – as evidenced by Real’s 1-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.

In assessing his side’s display during their first loss of the season, Ancelotti said it was a matter of finding the perfect synergy. At the moment Madrid looks less like a team and more like a bunch of individuals that have been lumped together with no clear plan.

Even before the defeat to the French side there was a clear lack of cohesion. There were also a few near escapes, with Los Blancos failing to capture the ruthlessness they displayed last season to date.   

“It’s difficult to evaluate the game. Everything went quite badly. It was difficult for us to do anything. We don’t have to throw everything away and we have to keep a cool head,” Ancelotti told journalists after the match.  

“The feeling is that we are having trouble generating chances and possession has been slow, with few ideas... We have forwards who need us to play more vertically,” said the Italian supercoach.

“The sadness is because the feeling has not been good. You can lose because this is sport. But [against Lille] we did not give a good feeling. I am worried. We have all the resources to learn and improve, we have to fix things quickly,” he added.

“It’s not enough to talk about the issue to fix it. If it were that way, it would be easier. There is a dynamic that needs to be improved, it’s not enough just to talk. The team was improving and this is a step backwards.”

Madrid are, of course, not unfamiliar with having a star-studded team who failed to live up to expectations. 

In the mid-2000s, Los Blancos assembled a team littered with a collection of star players still considered some of the best men to ever kick a soccer ball – the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham and Iker Casillas.

Despite this treasure trove of talent that squad only managed to win one Champions League title and just two domestic league titles. 

This current crop of stars will be out to prove that they can play cohesively and bring the 15-time European champions more success.

Hot Reds

Teams such as Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and Arsenal walked away on matchday two of the league phase. As did Liverpool.

With the 2-0 victory over Italy’s Bologna, coach Arne Slot rewrote history by becoming the first Liverpool boss to win eight of his first nine games.

Despite maintaining his impressive start since replacing Jürgen Klopp ahead of the ongoing season, Slot shared that though he was happy with this start, his dreams are much larger.

“I don’t draw many conclusions from that, but it’s nice. So many incredible managers have worked here, doing so many special things,” Slot said.

“The only thing is I hope it is not the only thing people remember me for in two or three years, or however long I am here. If all they say is, ‘that’s the manager who won eight out of nine’. I’m hoping to do more special things than just win eight out of my first nine games,” the Dutchman stated.

In that victory over Bologna, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah took his overall Champions League goal tally to 45, overtaking Chelsea and Ivory Coast great Didier Drogba as the highest-scoring African in Champions League history. DM