How does Lopetegui inspire a Capello-esque bounce-back at Madrid without getting sacked?

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Real Madrid have gone three games without a goal for the first time since 2007.

That is a staggeringly poor run of form for Los Blancos, they are a side that has built a reputation on always being able to score – and particularly so in Europe. Before the 1-0 defeat in Moscow, Real Madrid had scored in their previous 29 Champions League games, a run stretching back to the semi-final in 2016.

Obviously there was dramatic upheaval over the summer with personnel and coaching changes, but Madrid still have a squad brimming with quality. Yet they have hit this roadblock, and now must find a way through it.

Obviously the law of averages says they will score again, and probably soon, but what this goalless streak has highlighted is a problem within the team, and it’s a problem that needs a solution.

As it happens, there are two things Real Madrid could do to both end this goalless streak and get Julen Lopetegui’s reign in charge truly up and running. And they are changes that are inspired by the last time Real Madrid went three games without a goal.

Back in 2006/07, Fabio Capello was in charge of Real Madrid and his side were a disorganised husk of a team, and lost 0-3 at home to Recreativo in the last game of 2006 and then opened up 2007 by losing 2-0 to Deportivo and then drawing 0-0 with Real Betis in the cup.

Then Don Fabio made some big calls to turn things around. Out went experienced legends like Ronaldo, Emerson and David Beckham. Taking with them excellence and reputation, sure, but also slow, ageing limbs. In came youngsters like Fernando Gago, Gonzalo Higuain and Robinho. Slowly but surely, Madrid’s form lifted and they actually ended up winning La Liga on the head-to-head rule.

It was an amazing triumph, but can Lopetegui effect a similar, but perhaps better, turnaround by doing something similar? Read on and find out!

1. Restructure the midfield

Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions Leagues with a base midfield of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. The thing is, though, this midfield was never truly functional as a cohesive trio. Only Modric was a fully functional elite level midfielder. Sure, Casemiro’s recovery pace and tackling helped to balance out the gaps that pass-master Kroos would often leave behind him, but that still essentially reduces a midfield three to a midfield two and a half in terms of impact on matches.

But thanks to the introduction of Isco creating a midfield diamond, the genius of Modric, and a whole lot of luck (they never drew Barcelona or Manchester City in Europe, two of the three sides with a midfield capable of exploiting the flaws in theirs – and when they did face the third side Bayern Munich they got lucky with refereeing decisions) they managed to ride this trio to glory.

Now they reap the whirlwind, however. Modric may be The Best, but now he’s 33 years old, he’s ageing to the point where he doesn’t look capable of consistently carrying the midfield and may need game management to be at his resplendent best. Meanwhile Kroos and Casemiro are as brilliant-but-limited as ever and Madrid need to find a way around that.

The solution is right there on their bench: Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente and Fede Valverde. These young midfielders have all shone to a frankly staggering degree away from the Santiago Bernabeu, and yet they have found themselves sat on the Madrid bench for most of the time. This is an absurd waste of talent and needs to be rectified.

Dani Ceballos is a superb all-around midfielder and a clear heir to Luka Modric’s throne, but he’s 22 and can’t carry Kroos and Casemiro as the Croatian can. However if you were to pair him with Llorente, a superb defensive midfielder whose ability to read the game and defend space make him a much better fit for a new-look midfield than Casemiro, then he would be better able to showcase his skills.

In the third spot you could then have Casemiro or Kroos. The need to manage the German is more about putting him in a position where he can do the least defensive damage. His senseless backpass is what gave CSKA their goal, and whilst one mistake can never be enough to write off a player the fact that a player who does nothing but pass is starting to make genuinely bad ones should worrying. By placing him in a no. 10 role, allowing him to drift forward and attack, his passing would become lethal.

Casemiro has been a fine servant to Madrid but his greatest attributes are tackling and shooting, making him a better fit in a box-to-box midfield role than as a pivot. With Ceballos and Llorente (who are similar in age and friends) tasked with running the midfield, unleashing Casemiro as a wildcard able to disrupt opponents and rain shots on goal could be very effective.

Luka Modric could play for either Ceballos or Casemiro or Kroos. His spot is unquestioned it’s just about keeping him healthy for the big games. Meanwhile Fede Valverde should not be overlooked. He’s only just 20 but as he showed on loan at Deportivo last year he’s a fierce competitor who plays in the mould of Casemiro but is young enough to be taught how to be a true defensive midfielder instead of just a tackle-merchant like the Brazilian.

Lopetegui’s ability with young players was always one of his big selling points for a Real Madrid squad that is stuffed full of great young talent. So allow him to play and develop that great young talent rather than constantly trying to work with the ageing husk of Zidane’s broken side without any of the sorcery, good luck and supernatural man-management that Zidane himself had.

2. Commit to pace in attack

The second thing Lopetegui could do, and it is admittedly a minor point compared to the first one; is commit to pace in attack. Real Madrid’s failure to lure a superstar forward to the Santiago Bernabeu over the summer made very little sense at the time and at present it’s even more obviously a terrible idea.

Karim Benzema started the season hot and looked like he was going to have a true breakout season, but people never change and we should have known that the streaky Benzema would fall off. We didn’t, shame on us. But how can Madrid proceed with such an inconsistent no. 9? Well, the short answer is drop him.

The long answer is take Benzema out of the side and commit to a fast attack. With the new midfield based around Ceballos and Llorente, Madrid will be getting the ball forward quickly. And when Isco returns you want to be able to incorporate his particular genius. Now if Benzema plays this gives you two forwards dedicated to interplay and creativity and just one fast goalscorer, that’s not enough.

So you drop Benzema, and in his place you start Mariano or Marco Asensio, depending on formation. Gareth Bale is obviously a superb choice to start when he’s healthy, but he’s always had injury problems. With Isco on the left in the role he played for Lopetegui in Spain, the central striker’s role should go to Mariano.

The Dominican international is great in the air, has the pace and positional sense to sneak tap-ins and loves a 30 yard thunderbolt too. He should be cultivated as the side’s leading scorer (he lacks the true “objective” quality some others do, but he’s a player built on confidence and given he took the legendary no. 7 shirt you could get an amazing season out of the kid by just believing in him).

Of course Asensio can’t be overlooked as an attacking option either. The Spanish winger has shown a capacity for playing false nine and was the last Madrid player to score a goal. He’s fast, he’s skilful, he’s scored against the biggest and best teams he’s faced.

Thrusting Asensio into a starring role and trusting in his talent alongside a fellow fast forward in Mariano with Isco pulling the strings will allow Julen Lopetegui’s Real Madrid to start moving forward into the future. It will give them the pace to enter a new era and hopefully Lopetegui can avoid Capello’s fate of, y’know, getting sacked after one season in charge.

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