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After the terrible defeat against PSG (3-0) at Champions League, everybody was very pessimistic about the future of Real Madrid. However, in the last three games, Zinedine Zidane has been able to make a consistent team and avoid conceding goals, something that looked impossible only some weeks ago. Now the team is ready for the next challenges.

Los Blancos conceded 9 goals in the first five games of the season, being this the main problem of the squad. Even against Levante, Real Madrid were about to lose two points despite leading the game for three goals. They weren’t able to control the games, but this has changed in the last matches. Los Blancos are still not brilliant enough to lead the clashes and they are not playing as good as we want, but they are showing some consistency, something difficult to imagine some weeks ago.

The key thing for this consistency is the midfield formed by Casemiro and Toni Kroos. The Brazilian has no replacement in this squad and he is showing a great level. When he is not in the pitch -Zidane game him some rest against Levante- the team suffered and almost lost points.

The other positive point is Toni Kroos. The German midfielder was heavily criticized last season because he was very slow, and he’s the engine of the team. However, in the last games he’s improving and showing more pace and speed. This is also helped by James Rodríguez, whose movements are faster than the ones showed by Luka Modric. However, the team still misses the Croatian brain, and the clarity in the offensive part is still low.

Now Los Blancos have an easy calendar to move pieces and gain confidence before El Clásico at Camp Nou on the 26th of October. Real Madrid host Brugge in the Champions League and Granada in La Liga this week, whereas they travel to Mallorca after the international break. Three victories are expected during this time to arrive leaders to El Clásico and full of confidence, something lacking in the last months.

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Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid lived a boring derby with a lot of caution from both sides ending up in a goaless draw (0-0) at Wanda Metropolitano, where Los Blancos have not lost yet. Barcelona, who were able to win at Getafe, reduce the distance with the two main rivals in the title race, but the Madrid clubs are still on a good position in the table.

This year La Liga will be a complete battle with many fronts open. Real Sociedad can end up leader of the table this game if they are able to win at Sevilla. Many unexpected clubs are in European positions, like Athletic Club or Granada. Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid fought to top the table but both were more afraid to lose than eager to win this battle, because the war will be long.

Perhaps for this reason, Zidane decided to keep Luka Modric on the bench, thinking also in the Champions League, and he added some muscle to the midfield with Fede Valverde. Nacho was also the main news in the starting eleven, because Marcelo and Mendy were injured. And, as usual, Nacho suffered a lot on his side. However, Atlético de Madrid didn’t attack a lot this time and was a different team from the one we saw during the summer that was able to humiliate Real Madrid.

Actually, Los Blancos were closer to get the three points. The most clear chance of the whole game was thanks to Karim Benzema. When Modric appeared in the second half, the lights were switched on and the Frenchman was very close to find the net with a header. However, Jan Oblak was there to prevent the goal with a great save. Hazard and Bale were looked after, so Los Blancos were unable to create clear chances.

However, this point can be seen in a positive way. After the disaster of the Champions League in Paris, Real Madrid are now three games in a row with a clean sheet and are still topping the table. It looks like Zidane has found the key to make this team working and the Champions League will be the next text on Tuesday. At least, this year Los Blancos will fight for La Liga.

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Real Madrid reached the goal against Osasuna and beat the newly promoted team (2-0) obtaining the third victory in a row in La Liga. With these three points, Los Blancos are topping the table alone, only one point ahead of Atlético Madrid, their next rivals in the important derby in the weekend.

Zinedine Zidane chose the formula that gave him good results three years ago, when he won La Liga and the Champions League. Therefore, many of the important players had a rest and others had their opportunity. And many of them did a good job, especially Militao, Areola or Vinicius Junior. Besides, some others like James Rodríguez, Benzema or Bale will be fresh for the derby.

Los Blancos controlled the game from the beginning against Osasuna, who haven’t lost a game yet in La Liga and were able to get a point against Barcelona. However, the newly promoted team couldn’t create many troubles and when they arrive to the goal, Areola showed a great level. Actually it was one of the great news of the day.

The other one was Vinicius Junior. We all know he is a special player, but he has many troubles finding the net. The Real Madrid supporters were already a bit nervous with him when his shot from outside the box touched in a defender and touched the net. It was the first goal of the pleasant evening.

However, the game wasn’t closed and Real Madrid had already bad experiences with this feeling. Luka Jovic also started the game but he was not as lucky as his Brazilian team mates and he missed a couples of good chances. Besides, when he scored, VAR noticed that he was in offside. Better luck had Rodrygo Goes, who came in to the pitch in the second half, and scored a beautiful goal in the first time he touched the ball. Perhaps Rodrygo is a special player, and at least he has started in the best way possible.

Finally, the supporters could enjoy a pleasant evening and the third victory in a row for their team in La Liga. Now Wanda Metropolitano will tell us if Los Blancos are ready for important things this season or it’s only a strike against weak teams. At least, they will face the game from the top of the table, four points ahead of FC Barcelona.

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The pressure is on Real Madrid this season after a disappointing time in the previous one. They have gone out and spent millions of euros during the summer but just how high can they finish in La Liga? Will another Champions League title be won this season?

Real Madrid did win the World Club Championship last season, so it wasn’t a total write-off. However, by the end of the season, they weren’t even the top club in Madrid, let alone the world. Real finished third in La Liga, eight points behind Atletico Madrid and 19 adrift of champions Barcelona.

Those are statistics that just don’t satisfy anyone associated with the club. The previous season had seen Zinedine Zidane resign his job. Julen Lopetegui only lasted until October and his successor Santiago Solari left in March with Zidane back in charge. If you are a punter that bets on statistics, then you can see all the Spanish football stats online to help you place your bet.

They lost five home league games last season and seven more on their travels. Real hadn’t lost 12 league games in a season since 1998/99. Yet, they won 21 league games, only one less than in the previous season but eight down on their last La Liga title win in 2017. With only five league draws, Madrid became a team that blew hot and cold with little in between.

Their dreams of winning a fourth straight Champions League ended in the last sixteen. They won away in Ajax but then lost at home and their title was gone. Something was seriously wrong at the club.

The summer has seen Real Madrid make plenty of changes. Not all their transfer targets were achieved though. The ambition of bringing Neymar back to Spain but to Madrid rather than Barcelona failed to reach fruition. Any dreams of signing Mbappe from PSG also met with no response. Perhaps they can have a little chat when taking the French side on in their Champions League group.

Madrid did land Eden Hazard though in a £90m move from Chelsea. Hazard is a player who can create chances and score goals, though 50 in a season isn’t quite within his reach.

In all, Real made five signings that saw them spend at least £40m. Luka Jovic, Eder Miltao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are the others who Real hope will get them back into title contention at home and in Europe.

The new season has seen Madrid unbeaten in their first three league games but with a win and two draws. Their only home game saw them held to a 1-1 draw by Valladolid and already they have had Modric and Bale sent off in three games.

Karim Benzema has made a good start to the new season with two goals in his first three league games. Gareth Bale looked on his way out of the club but ended up staying. He scored twice against Villarreal but then came the last gasp dismissal.

Eden Hazard has yet to play in the league due to a thigh injury -at least he already made his debut- so it’s hard to judge them at this stage. The impact he makes will determine what part they will play in the title race. The only bonus so far is that Barcelona have also made a slow start. A title challenge is likely but there are still signs of inconsistency in Madrid.

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The best version of Real Madrid was seen at Sánchez Pizjuán, a very tough stadium, and Los Blancos got the victory (0-1) thanks to a header by Karim Benzema. Zidane’s mean beat the leader of the table and now they are topping La Liga after a very difficult week after the tough defeat in Paris. The team is still alive and competitive, despite all the bad games during this start of the season.

Because despite all the trouble in this start of the season, Real Madrid are now leader of La Liga, together with Athletic Club, four points ahead of FC Barcelona -also in a deep crisis- and one point ahead Atlético Madrid, rival in one week. And Los Blancos survived on a very tough stadium like Sánchez Pizjuán, where last year were thrashed (3-0) starting the end of Julen Lopetegui’s era.

Precisely, the Basque coach couldn’t get vendetta in his first clash against his former club. This is the first defeat in the season for Sevilla, who have started brilliantly the year. However, they were very tired after a long trip in the Europa League and Zidane knew how to handle the game.

Finally, Los Blancos were a serious team. Mendy was able to control Jesús Navas, and Sergio Ramos gave stability to the defensive line. Besides, Casemiro was the king in the midfield, so Sevilla didn’t have any chance during the 90 minutes of the game. Offensively speaking, Zidane tried again with Bale, Hazard and Benzema, and both the Welshman and especially Hazard had good chances to score. However, we need to be still patient with Hazard after his injury.

The one finding the net was again Karim Benzema. Now topscorer of the competition, the Frenchman sent to the net a great assist gave by Carvajal with a good header in the second half. He didn’t do many things else, but this goal is valid for the three points and a new confidence in the project. However, Osasuna at home and Atlético Madrid during the weekend will be a new test for this team.

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Real Madrid couldn’t start worst their season in the Champions League. PSG thrashed Los Blancos (3-0) at Parc des Princes with a great show of Ángel Di María, showing all the weaknesses of the team that we have seen during this first months of season. The last Real Madrid game of the Champions League was an unforgettable 1-4 against Ajax, and they haven’t improved after the summer.

And the worst thing is that PSG didn’t need Cavani, Neymar or Mbappé to thrash Los Blancos. They just needed a good midfield, with Verratti, Sarabia and Gueye to be better, and Di María to score the goals. Meanwhile, this new Real Madrid showed their weaknesses, especially in the midfield and in the defensive line, unable to stop PSG.

Zidane could count on the new attacking line for the first time in the season, with Bale, Hazard and Benzema. However, only Gareth Bale showed good level in Paris, whereas the Belgian playmaker looks a bit slow yet after his injury problems. In the midfield, James also started, but he is not able to build the team by himself. Zizou needs to find solutions because this squad is not compensate, there is a clear lack of midfielders.

Despite all these issues, Real Madrid could have been luckier in Paris. PSG punished Los Blancos too much, especially because Courtois was unable to save the first two shots of Di María. The Argentinian is a great player still -we all know from his success at Real Madrid- and he scored the first two goals in the 13th and 33rd minute. Probably too much punishment for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid tried and Hazard could have scored with a shot from outside the box. Bale found the net, but the VAR spotted that he touched the ball with his hand. We could have seen more goals in the second half, from both sides, but was Meunier the one closing the scoreboard in the injury time. Now Real Madrid are bottom of their group and they need to react on Sunday, because Sevilla is also a huge test in La Liga.

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Real Madrid’s debut in the Champions League 2019/20 will be very tough against one of the favourite to hold the trophy in Istambul, PSG. Los Blancos travel to Paris with many absence but with the confidence of doing something good after the victory at home against Levante in La Liga. Both teams will miss many players, but we can expect a great show in Parc des Princes.

In a normal situation, these two clubs will go through the knockout stage and these clashes will be key to know the leader of the group. PSG are always favourites to win the Champions League but year after year they fail. Last season was even more painful against Manchester United. Tuchel won’t be able to include in the line-up Neymar Jr. -suspended-, Cavani and Mbappé. Therefore, the attacking line will be completely different, with Mauro Icardi as the main star.

On the other side, Zinedine Zidane has to manage many absences as well, especially in the midfield. Isco, Modric and Fede Valverde haven’t travelled to Paris, so most likely the midfielder line will be formed by Casemiro, Kroos and James Rodríguez, right now a key player in this team.

The good news is that for the very first time Zizou can include in the line-up the best attacking line with Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. These players, if they are at their top level, can bring glory to the club. However, we cannot discard Lucas Vázquez in the line-up, in order to keep the balance of the team.

In the defensive line there will be some changes as well. Marcelo is injured whereas Sergio Ramos is suspended after his stupid yellow card in Amsterdam, so Militao and Mendy will show up in the starting eleven, a tough test for these two signings.

Apart from the points, it will be a good thermometre to know the level of the team. On Sunday, they will play abroad against Sevilla, so after these two games we’ll have a clear idea about the team and his possibilities of doing something good this year.

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Florentino Pérez spoke in front of the cardholders members of Real Madrid in the Sunday morning after the victory against Levante. It was not an easy morning for the president in the Real Madrid Assembly in front of the real owners of the club, especially after the last season and the doubts about the project.

The president wanted to defend the project and the manager: “We made a great effort to build a winning squad. […] We have players who have won a lot, who have won everything and they deserve our love and respect”.

However, Florentino Pérez was very critic about last season: “It was not the season we wanted or hoped for. We have to understand that this team has won everything, but it’s true that we had a lack of intensity to keep up the level. You should not hesitate that we are going to change it. We have to transform the team and our challenge is to keep winning with a really competitive scenery. We have to recover the hunger of triumphs, we have enjoyed a winning strike almost irrepetible and the players deserve our respect. No one had won three Champions League in a row and we did it with these players and this manager”.

Florentino also spoke about the new signings: “This squad is one of the most valuable in the market, with €1.180M. We have signed seven new players, including Hazard, who had brought illusion to the supporters. Best player in the Europa League, Premier League”, the president said after speaking about every single new player.

The president defended the economic situation of the club, the new contract with Adidas and the success with the basketball team. Besides, he spoke about the importance of being together: “We have to value the things we get with effort and sacrifice. We’re a united club. Unity has always being essential”, Florentino remembered.

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Real Madrid won their first game of the season at home (3-2) suffering until the injury time against Levante despite leading the scoreboard 3-0 in the half-time. Like most of the games, there were some positive things -especially James Rodríguez and Benzema-, and other very negative like the fragile defense. At least, Los Blancos breathe before travelling to Paris and Seville, two tough tests in the following week.

Zinedine Zidane couldn’t count on Luka Modric and James Rodríguez, as expected, had his minutes. Besides, Vinicius Junior showed up in the line-up replacing Gareth Bale, sent off against Villarreal. Hazard made his debut in the second half and he left some glimpse of his quality and was even very close to score his first goal as Madridista. So there were some positive things.

The best side of Real Madrid was seen in the first half. After 15 initial minutes, Los Blancos started to pressure very high and Levante lost many balls near the box. In six minutes, Karim Benzema scored a brace -4 goals in the start of the season-, showing again his good form. James Rodríguez and Lucas Vázquez were key to get this advantage in the scoreboard. Before the half time, also Casemiro was able to score. The game was finished.

Or it seemed like this. Zinedine Zidane start to make some changes, as Levante did, but no one could think that the Valencia team could be able to get a point in the rainy morning. However, everytime Levante arrived to Courtois’ box, they found the net. Borja Mayoral (48th minute), given on loan by Real Madrid, and Melero (75th minute) scored for Levante to bring nervous to the supporters. Meanwhile, Vinicius missed many chances, and so did their colleagues, so Los Blancos were unable to close the match.

Even Levante had a chance to get a draw in the very last minute, but this time Courtois saved the time. No one could think that Los Blancos could suffer this morning, but this team is still very fragile. On Wednesday there will be Neymar and Cavani in front, so no mistakes can be done. We shall see the real level of this team.

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The most expensive signing this summer and the new galactico hasn’t made his debut yet with Real Madrid. Los Blancos are awaiting for Eden Hazard after spending €100M in June for the former Chelsea player. An inconvenient muscular injury in August preventing him on playing the first three games in La Liga and the results were very disappointing. For this reason, the supporters expect him to change the attacking line.

Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have started the new season in good form, but they need a new player in the attacking line, and this new footballer is Eden Hazard. His magic will improve the team performance, for sure, especially if the Welshman and the Frenchman keep up their form.

Levante (Saturday at 13:00, local time) is the next rival and Los Blancos cannot fail this time, after drawing at home against Valladolid. The Valencia team has not started well La Liga, and it’s a good opportunity to improve the performance after the international break and with PSG on the horizon. Real Madrid three next trips are against PSG, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid, a tough calendar to start judging if this team is able to fight for titles.

Among all Real Madrid players, the supporters have set very high expectations on Eden Hazard. The Belgian playmaker arrived to Madrid as the new Galáctico and he’s the only signing who will have a spot in the line-up this season. Hazard is able to change any games and decide titles, as he showed last season with Chelsea. Besides, Los Blancos are stuck in the attacking line, without ideas.

The new attacking line Bale-Benzema-Hazard looks promising, but it would depend on the level of the players and the accuracy with the chances created. Those three, together with Modric, James or Kroos creativity, should be able to put the ball in the opposite box, but Los Blancos failed last season in converting the chances, and something similar even happened against Villarreal.

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