Real Madrid’s start to the 2024-25 season has been far from straightforward. Points have been dropped in four out of 11 matches (D3, L1), and because these of these winless fixtures have come in La Liga, it means that they currently trail bitter rivals Barcelona by three points.
Many expected Real Madrid to cakewalk their way to a second consecutive La Liga title, especially with Kylian Mbappe having been added into Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. However, this has not proven to be the case so far, and as Emmanuel Petit has told Football España alongside BetBrain, the reason why is pretty clear.
“There’s a lot of things that Real Madrid need to manage, such as confidence and ego. The main problem for Real Madrid is not Mbappe – it is in midfield. Toni Kroos isn’t there, and Luka Modric isn’t the same player as he once was. For me, Kroos was the main man, and he is missed so much to the point that it doesn’t feel like the same team. They have huge quality as individuals, but it doesn’t feel like a team anymore. The last few years, they won trophies because they were playing as a team – at the moment, they are struggling to have that same feeling.”
There’s no doubt that Kroos in particular has been a massive miss for Real Madrid. He was arguably one of the best players in Europe in his final season as a professional footballer, and adapting to live without him has been a major challenge for Ancelotti, who with hope that the second international break has given him time to figure out a solution.
Real Madrid opted not to replace Kroos during the summer, instead relying on existing players to step up. Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni are two players to have gained more prominence, although Petit is unconvinced by his fellow Frenchmen.
“He has quality, but you can’t ask Camavinga to do what Kroos or Modric were doing – it’s impossible. What they did was priceless, and there aren’t many players that can do the same things.
“Since he went to Real Madrid, he has improved as a player – he’s played in different positions too. But has he done enough as a midfielder to show that he should be a nailed starter? I’m not sure yet, I’m still waiting for him to show that. It’s the same for Tchouameni too, I’m not convinced by him either. For me, he’s better as a central defender.”
Real Madrid are entering into another crucial run of fixtures, which includes the first Clasico of the season next weekend. They need to step up if they are to overhaul Barcelona, although there’s plenty of time for their problems to be solved. However, it is certainly easier said than done.
