Real Madrid - How to fix them

Real Madrid's season ended earlier today after a thrilling 4-3 defeat to Barcelona in the El Clasico. The La Liga title is all but confirmed to be over and it looks like Los Blancos will endure a trophyless season for the first time since the 18/19 disaster. (Major 3 trophies, not CWC etc). Real Madrid have been such an interesting trainwreck to watch this season - but the arrival of Xabi Alonso next season as manager makes me even more excited. How can Real Madrid beat Barcelona's seemingly unbeatable squad next season. First we need to idenfity the major problems at the club this year.

1. Coaching

There is no doubt that Carlo Ancelotti is a legendary manager, one of Real Madrid's greatest ever. But his lack of a clear, defined tactical philosophy was always going to end in disaster. Too many times this season have Real Madrid looked hopelessly lost on the pitch, unclear of what to do, no instructions except "play". This needs to be fixed. Madrid need rigid coaching, particularly on the defensive end.

2. Defense

Defense has been a massive problem for Madrid this season. The last true defensive star Madrid brought in was Rudiger 2 seasons ago. Militao is a class defender but injury prone. Alaba is 32 and looks to have lost some of his positioning and burst of speed that made him so great. Carvajal is 33 and there's no real long term replacement there. Vazquez is 33 and too error prone. Vallejo and Fran Garcia are not good enough. Rudiger is amazing but once again 32. Ferland Mendy is probably not good enough but would be serviceable for a season, or as a back up. This area has been neglected by Madrid and needs to be addressed in the summer. (Note: Forgot Asensio, who I think can be at least a backup even if he's a horrible man)

3. Midfield

Once again an area not addressed. Toni Kroos has not been replaced. This would have been okay if not for the underperformance of Tchouameni and Camavinga this season. But this area is still generally okay. Madrid should target someone to replace Kroos. Modric too, as he is clearly in decline. Ceballos is scamming a career at this point. However Valverde is still one of the world's best. This can probably be kind of left for another season if they're feeling risky, but should be addressed ASAP.

4. Attack/Number 10s

The quality is undeniable. Vinicius. Mbappe. The problem is the ego clash. We could all see it from a mile away. Two players that both want to be the main man were never going to get along. That is still a concern. If Ancelotti couldn't man manage them, can Alonso? But the ability is too good to not give it a go. As for AM's Madrid have Jude, who is a fantastic player and is undeniably a mentality monster. Brahim Diaz surprised me with his quality. He's a good option to keep but a sale should be looked at (the player may want to play regularly and stocks are high so a decent fee can be made). ARDA GULER. PLAY HIM. THAT'S ALL. And Endrick... such a wasted season. He's the backup striker but I feel like he needs to be playing regularly to develop in Europe. This is a confusing area - so much quality but also a lot of questions. (Haven't mentioned a certain someone for a reason)

(Didn't mention Keepers because they're good with that. Lunin and Tibo are great)

Xabi Alonso

One of the most hyped managers is finally going to a massive team. First of all. His work with Bayer Leverkusen was simply amazing. This was a team called Neverkusen because of how much they bottled. And he won them an unbeaten league title and a cup. His system is amazing too - I have a personal preference for a 3 centre-back system and he has perfected the art. This is what it looks like:

3-4-2-1

GK

Three CB's

LB DM CM RB

10 10

Striker

So how will this play out at Real Madrid? And what do they need in the transfer market?

Goalkeeper - Nothing needed. Courtois and Lunin are more than capable

Centre-backs - Keep Rudiger, Militao will come back from injury, Alaba can be kept but wages are massive and maybe should be offloaded? Need signings here. Probably need 2 more quality players. (Note: Forgot Asensio here. So only one signing needed) I'm a huge fan of Jorrel Hato from Ajax on the left hand sided CB here, but he may be too raw. Scalvini from Atalanta is a monster but price may be too high. Lukeba from Leipzig would be a perfect Alaba replacement - pacey and great tackler. Dean Hujsen would also be really good but I think he needs another step before Madrid. I haven't seen much of Benfica's Tomas Araujo but I've heard good things. I think the option they are probably going to sign is Mosquera from Valencia - only 20, cheaper than all the others, Spanish homegrown player for registration. He's a Alaba like replacement but a little worse. Has a massive ceiling though, and his passing could make him even better with time. However Saliba's contract expires in a few years, and Real Madrid are 100% going to try and sign him. But can they wait for more years before addressing this? I don't think so. Sign at least one here. Also think Tchouameni could do a job here?(Or am I crazy?)

Full-backs - Right hand side is perfect. Trent joining is amazing - he's exactly like Frimpong for Leverkusen but a better passer. Carvajal will still be there for defensive matchups, and Trent can transition into a midfield role then. (Valverde could also do a interesting job there) Left hand side - Mendy is serviceable. I don't think he's a total disaster like most people, but another option would be perfect here. Theo Hernandez has been rumored - great option. Knows the club, Milan are probably not going to get European football, so the price will be cheaper. He would be great on that left hand side. Young Alvaro Carreras has also had a breakthrough season for Benfica. 20 and Spanish, he could also be a good rotation option. Sign one here.

Midfield - Trent can invert here as we said. Valverde in the Xhaka role - tears of joy. Camavinga had a down year but his ability to cover ground is amazing. Modric can also still be useful in certain game states. Tchouameni too, although his skillset is less useful to an Alonso system (controversial sale maybe? I don't think so). Probably need a depth piece here or a younger player. A few rumblings about Ederson from Atalanta, but the price is too steep for a depth piece I think. Honestly not too many options this summer. But long term needs to be addressed. Two players of the caliber of Modric and Kroos need to be replaced properly

Attack - So many possibilities here. I think it's going to be Mbappe up top (Endrick back-up), Vinicius in the left 10 drifting wide (Brahim as back up to both 10s). Now I haven't mentioned Rodrygo yet. I just don't think he can adapt to Alonso's system like I think Vini can. I think Madrid should sell - they can get a decent fee and reinvest in youngifying the defense. Right 10? ARDA GULER. He would literally be AMAZING for that right hand side 10 role. He needs game time to explode on to the scene and I think Alonso could be the coach to do that. In terms of players? If they had to sign someone here, Jonathan David from Lille is available on a free and can play in all 3 positions here. But if they wanted to be ambitious? A certain Belgian from Man City is going to be available... just for a season... think about it Alonso. KDB.

In conclusion, Real Madrid are not hopeless despite their dismal season. But a new kind of approach is needed to succeed in modern football. It seems Madrid are finally embracing this by hiring Xabi Alonso. They are definitely going to be one of my most watched teams next season. They can be fixed - and I think Alonso is going to succeed. But Barcelona... look unstoppable. Hopefully the Clasico's next season will be even more entertaining (is that possible after the last two???)