The biggest story of the summer has been the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid. For the La Liga and Champions League champions, the Frenchman's move to the Bernabeu is a clear branding win. Los Blancos also win financially with Mbappe moving on a free.
Overall, this is a more necessary move for Mbappe so he can prove himself in a tougher league.
Before the 2024-2025 season started, many opinions said that coach Carlo Ancelotti would have a headache with too many stars in the attack. Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, especially the latter two players, 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 are second behind Hansi Flick's Barcelona with 21 points and are yet to lose. Mbappe has also scored 7 goals so far, with 5 of them coming in the domestic league.
Mbappe missed the Madrid derby with a thigh injury, but returned for the Champions League defeat to Lille, which ended Los Blancos' 36-match unbeaten run in the competition. Despite a 2-0 win over Villarreal, it was still not the Real Madrid many had hoped for.
The "White Vultures" are playing without Toni Kroos, who retired this summer. Kroos is the key to connecting the midfield and attack, which is the biggest problem of the team at present.
"Real Madrid are predictable, they are slow and it is difficult for them to filter the passes," Guti, a former Real Madrid player, told popular Spanish TV show El Chiringuito. "It is difficult for them to play in space, everyone wants to receive passes with their feet and that is difficult in today's football."
In the Champions League match against Lille, Real's front three kept switching roles but to no avail. In addition, the injury that ended Dani Carvajal's season is also a big problem. Meanwhile, Vinicius is also injured but should be back in a week or so.
Real Madrid and Mbappe are doing well and will find a way to get results. But this season, in big games against strong teams, both in La Liga and the Champions League, they will find it harder to find success. El Clasico against Barcelona later this month could decide the La Liga title race early this year.
But regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: If Real Madrid are to defend their La Liga title and lift the Champions League trophy once again, it will be a much tougher task than last season.
