Real Madrid began the 2014-15 season full of optimism after winning the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, but their campaign ended in disappointment as they failed to claim the biggest trophies in May and saw fierce rivals Barcelona win the treble instead.
This season brings new challenges. With a squad that has barely been reinforced and the same strengths and weaknesses as last year, Madrid must also find their feet under a new coach in Rafael Benitez. In what should be a new beginning for the club, there remains plenty of uncertainty.
Carlo Ancelotti was dismissed despite the finest calendar year in the club's history (Madrid won four titles in 2014), even though the feeling was that a cycle under the Italian had not come to an end. The club's senior players wanted the former Milan boss to stay and some of them said so publicly, but Benitez was brought in instead following an uninspiring spell with Napoli.
The first mission for the Madrid-born coach was not to instil his own ideas, but to win over the squad. In his first month or so in charge, he has started on the front foot with a positive pre-season. However, his decision-making at crucial and difficult moments will be the ultimate test of a dressing-room rapport that was indestructible under Ancelotti. More uncertainty.
For example, the system to be used and the change of position for some of the players; if it was expected that Benitez would be the firm hand Ancelotti was not, that appears to be way wide of the mark as the current plan seems to be more unbalanced and disorganised than in years gone by.
Worse still, the changes he has made appear to defy logic. For Benitez, Gareth Bale is a central playmaker now. In a 4-2-3-1, players like Isco and James Rodriguez will now no longer be able to play in the middle, but will be shifted out wide to the wings and further away from where they work best. In the meantime, Jese Rodriguez has left the flank to operate as a centre forward while Cristiano Ronaldo continues on the left despite drifting inside for much of last season. The midfield and attack, therefore, still look to lack both order and control.
On top of that, there's the absence of big-name signings. Iker Casillas, Fernando Pacheco, Sami Khedira and Javier Hernandez have all left the club, with Kiko Casilla, Danilo, Casemiro, Denis Cheryshev, Lucas Vazquez and Mateo Kovacic coming in. Good players they may be, but it is unclear whether they will suit the needs of the team.
And with La Liga about to kick off, a number of the squad are well short of the standard required to remain at the club: Alvaro Arbeloa, Fabio Coentrao, Asier Illarramendi and Lucas Silva, for starters. And with Coentrao not in Benitez's plans, Madrid now have three right-backs on their books and only one left-back (Marcelo), with Arbeloa set to feature again on his weaker side.
Then there are six central midfielders competing for only two positions, although Illarramendi and Lucas Silva could depart and the return of Casemiro from Porto does give Benitez a specialist defensive midfielder if he needs one.
Interestingly, new signing Kovacic claimed his best position is as a deep-lying midfielder, yet he was used to operating further forward at Inter. More square pegs in round holes, then. The one big name expected to arrive this summer was David de Gea, but Madrid will start the season without him as they continue in a game of cat-and-mouse with Manchester United.
That means Keylor Navas will kick off La Liga between the sticks, yet De Gea's arrival could force him out of the club altogether. In the meantime, Karim Benzema (currently injured) is the only orthodox centre forward in Madrid's ranks. Los Blancos do have some promising young players waiting in the wings, but Martin Odegaard is unlikely to feature much for the first team in 2015-16, while Marco Asensio has joined Espanyol on loan for the current campaign.
So with all of those changes, what can we expect from Real Madrid in 2015-16?
The club's standing and the quality of the playing squad means they will be obliged to fight for the top trophies on offer, yet they will not start as favourites in La Liga or in the Champions League this time around, with Barcelona and perhaps even Atletico in better shape domestically and others, such as Bayern Munich, looking stronger in Europe.
In pre-season, Madrid produced some dynamic displays - against Manchester City and Inter, for example - but also some poor performances - as versus Roma and Valerenga. It's fair to say this Real side is still lacking an identity with the season just about to get underway.
Benitez wants more solidity and more solidarity when it comes to defensive duties - and an attack taking full advantage of the weapons everyone already knows about: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, James, Isco et al. And even though the team did not concede many goals in pre-season, it was not quite the fluid football many will hope to see from Los Blancos in 2015-16. If that can be achieved over time, this could yet be a step up from Ancelotti's great side, but however meticulous the training, Benitez needs to deliver with titles at the end of the season at what is one of the world's most impatient clubs.
The former Liverpool boss has plenty of experience to work with, though. Casillas has departed after 16 years with the first team, but De Gea is still likely to arrive and captain Sergio Ramos has signed a new contract - as has his central defensive partner Pepe. And in midfield, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are an accomplished duo, while Cristiano Ronaldo will need to be a leader in attack.
One key objective for Benitez will be to get the best out of Bale after an indifferent second season for the Welshman in 2014-15. James and Isco also need to continue their development, while it is time for Jese to build on his obvious potential now that he has fully recovered from the serious knee injury that restricted his influence last term. As usual, however, the biggest responsibility of all rests on the shoulders of Ronaldo.
The Portuguese is close to becoming Madrid's all-time top scorer. He guarantees a goal a game and in what could yet be his final season at Madrid, he will want to win the big prizes - particularly after watching Barcelona win it all. So as has been the case at almost any point over the last few seasons, projects, coaches, investments, tactics and formations are all secondary: Real Madrid in 2015-16 will be pinning their hopes once again on Ronaldo's brilliance. And that may not be enough.
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