Real Madrid came into the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Manchester City with the draw tied at 1-1 and hope that they could make it to the Final for a second straight season.
Instead, Los Merengues were embarrassed, torn to shreds by a superior City in a 4-0 blowout that stands as one of the worst demolitions we have seen at this stage of the competition.
They were so thoroughly outclassed that the clear issues persistent throughout the 2022/23 LaLiga season – which Barcelona handily won – cannot be ignored this summer.
Here are five things Real Madrid must do in the aftermath of this humbling defeat.
Hire Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann rejected – don’t believe what these clubs try to spin to you – Premier League sides Chelsea and Tottenham because their ownership has no clear vision for a sustainable sporting project. The former Bayern München, RB Leipzig, and TSG Hoffenheim manager remains available, and it truly does seem like he is holding out for Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso could also be an excellent hire, given the progress he has shown at Bayer Leverkusen in his first major appointment, but he is still too “fresh” for Madrid. He is an option for a later date after he learns through adversity.
With the way he was treated by Bayern, Nagelsmann has dealt with setbacks of his own, and he will likely be accountable about his own failures at the historic German club.
The cycle has ended for Carlo Ancelotti. Though the players love him and fans are appreciative for all that he has brought to Madrid as a cup specialist, his issues were exposed by Pep Guardiola in the semifinal. Ancelotti does not put his players in a position to succeed and has no real game plan beyond the Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior duo carrying the way. If Vini is taken out of the equation by a defense, Carlo is left to his own devices.
Nagelsmann has new, fresh ideas and systems that are wonderful to behold. Look no further than how his Bayern completely neutralized the two best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Find a new striker
Regardless of what Real Madrid decides to do at manager, though, they need to make some brutally honest decisions about the true strength of their squad.
Karim Benzema is a club legend. He was the best player in the world in the 2021/22 season, producing an all-time great Champions League campaign in the process. And as we have seen at times late in the 2022/23 season, Benzema can still be effective at the age of 35.
The problem is that recent injuries have taken a toll on Benzema, who pretty much carried the Madrid attack for three straight seasons before Vini emerged to help him in 2021/22. Benzema cannot start for Madrid every week, because his body will not allow him to perform at the highest level. He is too slow to threaten defenses, so when he drops deep to help his team build things up, he often cannot get on the end of the emerging move.
Real Madrid do not have many options. Florentino Pérez can dream all he wants about Kylian Mbappé, but he already has Vinícius Júnior. He needs a striker who can put away the chances Vini and Rodrygo help create. Victor Osimhen looks like the best available option, but Dušan Vlahović may not be a bad get if the Napoli superstar is unavailable. And then, of course, there is Harry Kane, whose all-around skill-set is perhaps the closest thing to Benzema.
Finally upgrade at right back
Real Madrid should have brought in a new right back before the 2022/23 season, because everyone knew that Álvaro Odriozola would not have the quality to push for minutes behind Dani Carvajal. As of right now, Madrid’s best right backs are Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez. That’s not nearly good enough.
Iván Fresneda is a hot prospect in LaLiga, and Arnau Martínez of Girona is getting looks from big clubs, including crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid. Los Blancos may also favor Vinicius Tobias, whom they signed to Castilla from Shakhtar Donetsk but could not call up due to the EU passport requirements.
No matter who they chose to sign or which profile they opt for, Madrid need to sign someone younger than Carvajal with more legs. Carvajal is not the worst right back in the world and has not completely declined, but his play has dropped off enough from week to week that he is in an even worse spot than Karim Benzema. He must be replaced in the XI.
Commit to Fran and Jude
Fran García and Jude Bellingham are two excellent young players. Fran is one of the top left backs in LaLiga, while Bellingham is already one of the best players in the world as a teenager. Both young men are fully expected to become Madrid players when the 2023/24 season starts.
Real Madrid must commit to both of them as starters. Bellingham can help replace Luka Modrić’s box-to-box skillset on the right side. No, he is not a direct replacement for the Croatian magician and nobody should be expected to replicate the No. 10’s prime with Madrid. However, if anyone can offer elite quality in a variety of capacities, then it is the Borussia Dortmund man.
Left back has been just as much of a problem spot as right back for Real Madrid. Ferland Mendy cannot be relied upon, David Alaba is better at center back at this stage, and the Eduardo Camavinga experiment must end. Camavinga deserves better than to be thrust as an emergency left back option.
Fran is an energetic, athletic fullback who defends well and has the technical quality to make a difference in the final third. Real Madrid need that because Mendy’s attacking output had become abysmal.
Have a plan for Castilla
Zinédine Zidane received criticism from Madridistas for not integrating youth enough, but the reality is that he did about as well as any manager could under the pressure of Madrid to give players like Sergio Arribas, Antonio Blanco, Miguel Gutiérrez, and Victor Chust minutes. By the way, Miguel has been one of the top left backs in LaLiga this season in his own right.
There are still Castilla standouts just itching to get on the pitch. Arribas remains a quality footballer in the youth ranks. Peter Federico and Álvaro Rodriguez were standouts in late cameo appearances under Carlo Ancelotti, but they never received a follow-up as a reward for their decisive contributions.
Assuming Real sign a new manager, they need to have a plan with that hire to work with the Castilla players as a means of giving them opportunities to develop, show their quality to interested parties in loan deals, and an additional vehicle to rotate the overtaxed senior squad.
