Can Real Madrid bounce back and win La Liga this season?

The past decade has seen Real Madrid becoming the undisputed king of Europe, and their success is unparalleled.

Interestingly, they are about to enter a critical phase in the club’s history that could define their future in the long run.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Sergio Ramos are all gone while the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are fast approaching the fag ends of their careers.

Karim Benzema – who was the top scorer for Los Blancos with 31 goals last season – has left the club to move to the Middle East. He may not have grabbed headlines previously unlike some of the other big stars, but the Frenchman has left the club with his head held high.

He was immense for the Spanish giants and has claimed his status as a club legend, rightfully. It won’t be easy to replace a proper team player like him but there lies the biggest challenge. These players were instrumental in Madrid’s rich success in Europe in recent years, and they need to do it again without them.

How do you assess Madrid’s last season?

They ended up winning three trophies – Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup – but none of them were major honours. They lost the league title to Barcelona and couldn’t repeat their Champions League heroics.

After winning the treble in 2021/22 – the La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup – the stakes were obviously high. However, they failed to match the dizzy heights they had set for themselves.

They were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League, finished second behind Barcelona and also failed to win the Super Cup.

The failure to retain the La Liga title must have hurt them. Barcelona, without Lionel Messi, and operating on parlous financial condition received strong criticism in 2021/22, where the media even questioned whether Xavi Hernandez is the right man to take the club forward.

However, Barcelona showed incredible consistency last season, and that is something Madrid need to replicate if they want to dethrone their rivals.

The transfer window, once again, is very crucial. Last summer, Madrid signed only two players. Aurelien Tchouameni arrived from Monaco and Antonio Rudiger joined on a free transfer from Chelsea.

This summer, Madrid have already signed two quality players – Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and Arda Guler from Fenerbahce. On top of that, Fran Garcia has joined from Rayo Vallecano and Joselu has joined on loan.

The signing of Bellingham makes a lot of sense. Madrid cannot rely heavily on Modric and Kroos, considering their age. Of course, Modric is world-class at 37 but you expect someone to replace him gradually. Bellingham could be that guy.

The England international was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, and at one point it felt that he is destined to move to Anfield.

He was very close to Jordan Henderson and other Liverpool players, but the Reds decided against moving for him after they failed to secure the Champions League spot.

Liverpool needed to sign new midfielders and they couldn’t afford to spend big on one single player. They were left with no option but to quit the race for the 20-year-old.

Interestingly, Madrid made a surprise move out of the blue and secured his signature at a relatively reduced price than what it was quoted in the media.

Bellingham is a technically gifted midfielder who has been wonders at Dortmund. He was one of the shining lights for England in the World Cup, and he is destined for greatness if he maintains his outstanding form.

That is one side of the story. Over the years, we have seen talented players failing to handle pressure at Madrid. There is always huge demand for Real Madrid tickets when they make a big-money signing, and the pressure is immediately placed on the player. Sometimes, that pressure can be too much, but let’s hope that won’t be the case with Bellingham.

Time to settle

With Modric and Kroos still around, Bellingham will get time to settle down properly. Madrid face a curious situation with French midfielder Tchouameni.

According to widespread reports, Bayern Munich are ready to offer a massive fee of around £85m for the midfielder. Tchouameni failed to make a huge impact last season, but Los Blancos believe he will come good at some point.

Liverpool and Chelsea are also thought to be keen on Tchouameni but they need to come up with a massive bid to tempt him away. As of now, he is staying at the club, but things can change quickly.

Guler is a smart signing from Madrid. Having offloaded Marco Asensio and Hazard, Madrid needed to bolster their attacking areas and they went after the 18-year-old who is seen as one of the highly-rated young talents in European football.

There’s still a lot of time left in this transfer window, and Madrid can make one or two more eye-catchy signings. Clearly, they do not have a shortage of money but they have to be very careful with their moves.

Vinicius Junior ended up with 21 assists last season for Madrid, but he is constantly facing racial abuse in Spain. While he is not keen to leave the club, it will be interesting to see if he changes his decision at some point in the future if the same thing happens again next season.

One signing that could change the entire landscape is if Madrid can land Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain. The world-class French forward has made it crystal clear that he will not sign a new deal, and that he wants to leave.

PSG are also looking to cash in on him, but Madrid are unwilling to meet their asking price. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are rather ready to sign him for free next season. If Madrid manage to sign Mbappe, then definitely they will have a squad that is not only capable of winning the league but also the Champions League.

It appears that Madrid need that extra bit of inspiration, an x-factor from somewhere and Mbappe can provide that. There were suggestions that Madrid could go after Harry Kane to replace Benzema, but it seems they are not interested in the Tottenham striker.

Adding a quality striker is necessary, and Madrid are expected to make one top signing in that department. It’s hard to expect Joselu to score 30-odd goals, so Madrid have to find ways to fill the void left by Benzema.

Barcelona have added Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City and he is a cracking signing for the club. At 32, Gundogan is still playing at a top level and he would be the perfect replacement for Sergio Busquets who has joined Inter Miami.

Can Madrid win the title this season? Of course, they can. They have a perfect blend of youth and experience, and all they need is a bit of consistency.