2020-21 was a difficult but a beautiful season for Real Madrid. Not everything went as Madridistas wanted but considering the obstacles that the team had to face, we can agree that it was a pretty good season. We can count many positive things, but there are also some negative ones.
One of the most important things that are included in the list of the positive things is the character that the team showed during the season. They faced every team with respect and maximal attention. There were good moments and also bad moments when the team was not in the best shape. But those bad moments never made the team fail like in 19/19 and 19/20 when Real said goodbye to the titles very soon. Instead, this year the team fought until the end showing a great character and ignoring the obstacles. There were matches when one or more departments of the line up (defense, midfield or attack) was really short on men, but however everything went well thanks to the great management by Zidane and thanks to a lot of sacrifices by the players. The improvised line ups, where young players were included or other players like Valverde, Lucas Vasquez etc stepped in to cover roles that are unnatural for them, always worked and presented to the public a team that was solid.
Another positive aspect of this year was how greatly Zidane managed the team. He was always there to motivate the players, to take the blame on himself and to take the pressure off them. He also had to struggle with so many injuries and many Covid-19 cases that shrinked his team week after week. Zidane successfully added young players to the first team without losing the reliability of the team. Meanwhile thanks to these decisions those young players had the chance to create some great experience which will be extremely helpful for them and for the team in the future. He also adapted the other players in new roles covering the great number of absences.
Besides these, this year, especially the second half and the final period, showed how Real Madrid’s players cannot be judged quickly! Nacho and Militao are the best example of the players who have a lot to give and only need more confidence and more minutes. No one thought that they would fill the places of Ramos and Varane so well and the the defense would be great with them as leaders. Nacho offered more experience and maturity while Militao showed his strength and his ability to adapt to new situations and to face opponents without fear. He has been the subject of many critics at the start of the season as he made a lot of mistakes, but as the weeks passed he gained confidence and turned into one of the most reliable players! Besides them, the youngsters that came from the academy played all well. They had s lot of senators to learn from, but the maturity that they showed on the field was something to be very pleased with. At the end we cannot forget the main man: Karim Benzema! He has been performing greatly since he has joined Madrid, but lately, especially after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, he turned into a real leader: a forward that can do everything. He scored 30 times this year and assisted his teammates 9 times. Besides this, he has always been there for the team, creating spaces, putting pressure on the opponent’s defense and even coming back to help the team’s defensive department when they were struggling. After him, there’s immediately Courtois coming. He had many clean sheets and saved the team in several crucial moments. Then, the usual senators like Modric, Casemiro and Kroos never gave up and showed once again that they are the shaft of the team.
Last but not least, the journey. Real Madrid managed to follow La Liga and Champions League until the very end. At the start of the year everyone was skeptical and only criticized the team putting even more pressure on Zidane and the players. But everything turned out great. Real Madrid got some great results that are typical for a team that fights until the end. 2 wins against Brcelona, 4 points against Atletico, 2 wins against Inter, 4 points against Sevilla, 2 wins against Atalanta and 1 great win against Liverpool. These were the most important matches and Real Madrid got the most out of them even why no one thought about that. Unfortunately, the injuries and the strength of Chelsea did not permit Zidane’s team to reach the final of Champions League. It is still OK. The team gave the best and the fans should be happy about what was achieved. Not lifting a trophy at the end cannot pronounce the season as a failure!
On the other hand there were some negative points in this season, as it happens everywhere with every team.
The first thing is the transfer window! Real Madrid started the year without new signings and didn’t bother to bring anyone in the winter neither. A team with a lot of players that are 30 years old or more cannot have a great efficiency from the start to the finish of a long season. It is really impossible. All of the departments suffered. There were only 3 or 4 central midfielders, the defense was often uncovered because of the injuries and the offense lacked a reliable player to support Benzema. The Frenchman scored a lot and helped the team so much but he cannot do everything alone. The second in the goalscorers list for Real Madrid were Casemiro and Asensio with 7 goals, which is really a bad statistic. A second striker that could score about 15 goals was really needed. Maybe it was hard to predict that players like Hazard, Asensio and Vinicius would not produce too many goals for the team, but by the winter their performance was already known and it was quite obvious that they could not give Real Madrid too much because of their struggles. Besides them, Mariano was never finding himself. So, another forward was needed.
Then it was the absences; a lot of absences throughout the whole year. Injuries and Covid-19 cases plagued Real Madrid continuously as the weeks passed and turned every plan into a headache for Zidane, the club and the fans. There was a total of more than 60 injuries and several Covid-19 cases. The worst things was that the injuries and Covid-19 continued until the end and even intensified at the end. Thus, they caused the team to miss many important players in the final weeks when Madrid was playing everything!
Another negative aspect is the performance of several players. Hazard, Isco, Mariano and a few others have been underperforming. They have been subject of injuries and maybe subject of the lack of motivation. This had a very negative impact on the team as they were often unreliable and put the team in difficulties because at the start of the season the plan (as always) was to include all the players and to give the opportunity to all of the players to give their contribution. One of these players was unfortunately Sergio Ramos too. His commitment to the white shirt is already known, but his season was limited by the injuries. He has played less matches than ever and sometimes his great desire to help the team without fully recovering has resulted in poor performances.
The last negative thing is the great pressure that exists around the club and the team. New contracts, new arrivals, departures, the involvement in the Super League and more stuff like this have always bothered the team and has affected the harmony. Maybe the club should have been more reserved with the informations that get outside towards the media, because the media has a great impact on the public and eventually the whole route ends up with the team suffering the pressure. As for now, some players’ futures remain unsolved and the fans would like to hear some good news, especially for Ramos who has been a symbol of the team for many years. Of course, there is also Zidane: he will speak to the club and together they will decide if he will remain or not. The wish of Madridistas all around the world is already known however...!
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