Madrid: The Real Deal?

Real Madrid secured a swashbuckling 5-2 away win against FC Zurich in their last Champions League game, with world record signing Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two trademark freekicks. But their defensive frailties were again evident, despite coach Manuel Pellegrini playing them down. Can this hastily assembled team of superstars actually win the thing?

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Esteban Granero are an incredible roll call of signings, and the quality of personnel is not in doubt. What is questionable is whether they will gel, whether they will work together, whether all these disparate individuals can blend together in the cauldron of the Bernabeu. And not over time – now, immediately, this season. There is little doubt Pellegrino will be swiftly relieved of his duties if this huge investment does not pay some sort of dividend.

Real’s biggest challengers both domestically and in Europe are Guardiola’s Barcelona. After an unprecedented treble last season it is a huge ask for them to push on – or even equal – those achievements. Especially after losing Samuel Eto’o. Whether Real can triumph over Barca over an entire season remains to be seen. Interesting also how the Spanish League has now become all about the ‘Big Two’ – there was a 20/1 bar on another side winning the title this year. It’s like being in Scotland…

Considering that, there is a (R)eal chance they could compete for La Liga. They have the players who can steamroll the likes of Almeria and Xerex on a regular basis, and realistically it could come down to their head to heads with Barca.

The Champions League, however, is a very different animal. They will be competing with the world’s best teams on a regular basis, and will have to come through a group, quarters, and semis, not to mention the final. And it’s started already, only two games into the Primera League season (admittedly with Real flying high after two wins)

Can a newly assembled team achieve that? Can individual superstars chucked together beat the likes of Man Utd, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea… and of course Barcelona? Will Kaka, Benzema, Ronaldo et al have enough to break down the world’s best defences? More pertinently, will Real’s notoriously and evidently shakey defence have enough to repel the advances of the world’s best strikers?

Again, only time will tell. And with the quality of player they have, you cannot write them off. But Real is not where my money would be.