Football Season Guide

Only securing the European Super Cup as silverware last season was a huge disappointment for Real Madrid, and one that ultimately cost legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti his job. Los Blancos went close on many fronts, but couldn't match Barcelona whenever the two teams met, and were taken apart by Arsenal in the Champions League. That led to the new arrival of Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen. The former midfielder has been well backed in the transfer market, with the acquisitions particularly helping to address ageing and limited defensive options, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras effectively representing three quarters of a new backline. The gap in the Real Madrid squad now appears to be in midfield following the departure of Luka Modric, and pressure will be on Turkish youngster Arda Guler to step up after impressing at the Club World Cup. Pressure will also be on the front two of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, who have still not convinced fans that they can play together despite scoring 66 goals between them last season. Particularly for the Brazilian, there are expectations for more after his goal return was his joint-lowest since 2020/21. Handling a shortened pre-season, with training only beginning 15 days before their opening fixture, after the Club World Cup, will be another twist for Alonso and his staff. The team will play only one friendly to prepare themselves for the season.