Although Real Madrid have started the 2023/24 season with 6 wins out of 7 games in LaLiga (1 loss) and 1 win out of 1 in the Champions League, the level of play the team has displayed has been far from what the results would suggest.

Of the 7 total wins so far, 3 have come as a result of late Jude Bellingham winners after the 80^th minute, with two actually coming in the very last minutes of games. Furthermore, none of the wins have come by a margin of 3 goals or more, and only 3 wins came with a margin of more than 1 goal.

13 goals scored in 8 games, and 6 conceded. So far, the team has trudged on, using some late heroics from Jude Bellingham and co. to paper over the cracks.

The tactical issues, if not addressed in time, will eventually catch-up to the team and the results will begin to drop off. However, the bigger issues could be related to squad building, and unless addressed in the winter market, which is highly unlikely as the club has historically proven to be averse to making big moves in January, the issues could end up being disastrous for the club.

Tactical issues:

The same tactical issues from the last 2 seasons have persevered until this season, although there are some signs that these issues are finally being dealt with. The biggest issue for the team over the last 2 seasons has been the counter press. The team has consistently proven to be extremely disorganized when initiating a counter-press.

The common sight of a completely disjointed press, with the gap between the first and last line being massive, leading to opposition teams having barely any trouble beating the press, has continued being a glaring issue for the side so far. With the adoption of a 4-4-2 diamond this season might have further compounded the problems.

With a very narrow shape in possession, with the fullbacks being almost completely relied upon for width, especially after Vinicius’ injury and in instances in which Fede Valverde has been off the field, the shape has contributed to the pressing issues.

Upon losing the ball, the team reverts to a flat 4-4-2 shape to defend in, but it is clear that the team does not have this down to a tee yet. Oftentimes the team fails to get back into proper shape in time, while other times if the opposing player with the ball is pressed immediately, the team fails to block off all his nearest options in time.

The sight of one player aggressively pressing while the rest of the team falls back into defensive shape is a common one, and the lack of coordination has lead to countless transition opportunities for opposing sides. The team is still extremely vulnerable on set-pieces and crosses, as seen in the game against Atletico in which the team conceded 3 headers.

On the offensive side of things, tactical issues continue to hamper the individual abilities of players. While Vinicius and Rodrygo seem to be adapting to playing in a front two, albeit slowly, the lack of tactical ideas to elevate them has held the two Brazilians back.

In the front 2, both are given a great degree of freedom, and both are able to drift wide at will and play more naturally, and Vini has already shown signs of mastering the half-space run into the box, on the left in particular.

However, with both being natural wingers, often Vini moves to the touchline on the left, while Rodrygo operates in the half-space next to him, which leaves 0 presence in the box. This has allowed defenses to be comfortable in their settled shape, and not have to worry about a constant threat in the box.

These issues have also been compounded by poor finishing. Rodrygo so far only has 1 goal from 3.8 xG, and has missed a number of chances he would’ve buried otherwise. Joselu has underperformed his xG as well, scoring 3 from 4.5.

Injuries:

All of the aforementioned problems have been greatly worsened by injuries to starters.

Both Militão and Courtois will basically miss the entire season with ACL injuries. The teams best CB over the last 2 seasons, and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world for the last 3 or 4 years will miss the season, and the impact their loss will have cannot be overstated.

On top of these 2 massive injuries, Vinicius Jr. has already missed 4 games due to a hamstring injury, and would’ve missed more had the international break not come at a fortunate time.

New signing Arda Güler, who while not a key part of the squad but would have been a great option off the bench, is yet to play a single minute after suffering two injuries already.

Ferland Mendy also missed the first 6 games due to injury, and now David Alaba is expected to miss around 2 weeks.

5 startes have now had injuries which have caused them to miss multiple games (the whole season in the case of Militão and Courtois), and very few, if any, teams can cope with such losses this early on.

Squad-building issues:

Even after all the tactical and injury issues, the biggest problem in the squad might still have to do with composition.

While the midfield, in the eyes of the author and a lot of fans around the world, is the best in the world, with 7 incredible players of all required profiles, the midfield Real Madrid have constructed is one of the deepest ever.

However, the frontline and defense are lacking greatly. The most obvious issue is the lack of a world class center forward. Losing the best striker, and maybe even the best player in the world for the past 3 seasons or so; Karim Benzema, was always going to be a massive blow to the team. Benzema was the main source of goals in the team, while also being one of its primary creators and the main guy who connected the rest of the attack. This combined with his role as the team’s leader, Benzema was the face of the franchise up until his departure.

Losing a Ballon d’Or winner is bad enough, but then proceeding to not replace him at all is disastrous. Joselu was always brought-in as a replacement to Mariano, not Benzema.

With Benzema out of the team, the team has lost its focal point in attack, a good 40+ G/A, and the lack of a replacement has caused a plethora of tactical issues. The only way to really solve these issues are by signing a truly world class replacement, and with Mbappe refusing to leave PSG and the club refusing to look at alternatives, the summer transfer window came and went without a replacement.

Another issue has been the lack of cover at CB and RB. Carvajal’s decline over the last 3 seasons has been very steep, and while he has had a renaissance this season, it still does not make-up for the fact that he has no clear alternatives.

Lucas Vazquez has done a decent job at RB since he was moved there, he still is a natural winger, and his physical decline is clear to see.

At CB, the team did have adequate cover at the start of the season, but Militão’s injury has ruined that. Now the team only has 3 senior center-backs; Rudiger, Alaba and Nacho, and Alaba has already picked up an injury. In addition to this, Nacho is often tasked with covering at either fullback role, and our CB depth is stretched paper thin. If Rudiger or Nacho get injured or suspended, the player to step-in will either be an out of position Mendy, or Marvel from the youth set-up.

This article may make it seem as though all is doom and gloom for Real Madrid this season, it still needs to be remembered that Real Madrid are still one of the most talent heavy sides in the world. In Vinicius and Rodrygo, the team has two of the most electrifying attackers around, and a 7-man midfield rotation of Kroos, Modrić, Fede, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Ceballos and Bellingham could be the deepest midfield constructed ever. Add to that players like Alaba, Rudiger, Caravajal, role players such as Fran Garcia, Brahim and Joselu, and the guidance of one of the most successful coaches ever, Real Madrid are still a formidable team, albeit with some pretty obvious issues.