The biggest story this summer has been the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid. For the La Liga and Champions League champions, the French star's move to the Bernabeu is a clear brand victory. Los Blancos also won financially when Mbappe moved on a free.
Overall, this is a more necessary deal for Mbappe so that he can prove himself in a more difficult tournament.
Before the 2024-2025 season started, many opinions said that coach Carlo Ancelotti would have a headache with too many stars in attack. Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, especially the two players behind, all have a tendency to play on the left wing.
But Ancelotti knows that Real Madrid, as usual, will eventually find a way. And the Italian is partly right. In La Liga, Real Madrid is second behind Hansi Flick's Barcelona with 21 points and has yet to lose. Mbappe has also scored 7 goals so far, 5 of which have come in the domestic league.
Mbappe missed the Madrid derby after suffering a thigh injury, but returned in the Champions League defeat to Lille. This defeat ended Los Blancos' 36-match unbeaten streak in the tournament. After that, despite a 2-0 victory over Villarreal, this was still not the Real Madrid version as many people expected.
The 'White Vultures' are playing without Toni Kroos, who retired this summer. Kroos is the key link between midfield and attack, this is the biggest problem for the team at the moment.
"Real Madrid are predictable, they are slow and it is difficult for them to filter the passes," Guti, a former Real Madrid player, told the popular Spanish TV show El Chiringuito. "It's very difficult for them to play in space, everyone wants to receive a pass with their feet and that's very difficult in today's football."
In the match against Lille in the Champions League, Real's front three continuously changed roles but were ineffective. In addition, the injury that ended Dani Carvajal's season is also a big problem. Vinicius, meanwhile, is also injured but will return within a week or so.
Real Madrid and Mbappe are doing quite well and will find a way to get results. But this season, in big matches against strong teams, both in La Liga and the Champions League, they will find it harder to find success. The El Clasico match against Barcelona later this month could decide the La Liga championship race this year.
However, regardless of the result, one thing is certain: If Real Madrid want to defend their La Liga title and lift their Champions League title once again, it will be a much more difficult task than last season.
