This article is part of Football Fancast’s Monthly Review series, which analyses what managers can learn from the previous month and what the coming month could have in store.
Real Madrid had far from a perfect start to the new 2019/20 La Liga season.
We are three games in so far, and Los Blancos have only recorded one victory from three.
With that in mind, there are two major things Zinedine Zidane will have to do in September: fix his leaky defence and establish his strongest lineup.
Defensive problems
By now, this is actually no secret: Real Madrid have been conceding far too many goals since the start of the season. In the three games they’ve played, Los Blancos have allowed four strikes to rattle their net and ultimately they dropped four points in total.
But this is not an issue that has only just manifested itself.
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Even last season, they conceded a total of 46 goals throughout the 2018/19 La Liga campaign. On paper that doesn’t sound like such a poor record, but it’s pertinent to note that six teams, including 13th place Leganes, conceded fewer goals; for a club of such international prestige that is simply not good enough.
The growing trend continued into the pre-season as Zidane’s troops played five games and conceded a whopping 16 goals.
If the Frenchman wants to improve on the results of the 2018/19 season, which he definitely should considering how (un)successful they were, fixing his defensive woes should be at the top of his priority list.
Finding the right formula
And this is a big one for Zidane and co. Many names have joined Real Madrid this summer from abroad, some have returned from their loans and some have stayed on despite seeming destined to depart just a few weeks ago, with Gareth Bale certainly falling into that category. Be that as it may, the coach of the Whites is still very much in search of his perfect and strongest lineup.
In the three games they’ve played so far, Real Madrid have used 17 different players and three different systems. Integrating the likes of Eden Hazard and James Rodriguez into that roster once they return from their injury will also be key for Zidane. If they want to start winning and stop dropping points, the Frenchman will have to decide on one go-to system that he can rely on when the going gets tough.
So far, he clearly hasn’t done that and the results have, for that reason, been rather mixed.
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