A second minute strike from new signing Mario Mandzukic was enough to see Real Madrid lose the Supercopa de Espana 2-1 on aggregate at the Calderon on Friday.
Despite the parade of top players, the Blancos couldn’t get the desired result and struggled throughout the second half in a match Atletico would have scored more than the lone Mandzukic strike.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to start Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench which didn’t come out as planned.
A Cristiano Ronaldo would have helped in the first half they clearly dominated but couldn’t take their chances.
James Rodriguez was the main highlight of the first 45 minutes for Real Madrid. The new signing showed what he is capable of and why Real Madrid spent so much in signing him.
Carlo Ancelotti will have to get his game plan right if they are to compete for the Primera division this season with their campaign starting on Monday, 25th August 2014 at home to Cordoba. A team they will play for the first time in 42 years.
Real Madrid’s inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo at half time did little to lift the team that lacked ideas going forward with few chances created as the midfield gave away possession on too many occasion.
Luka Modric was dismissed in the match but the team will have little time to duel on the loss as they have to come back to their best as soon as possible.
The last time Real Madrid won the league title was under Jose Mourinho in 2012 and their woeful performance last season saw them make 3rd behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona with the former winning for the first time in eighteen years.
Despite a successful campaign in Europe last season, Carlo will need to do more with his team to get them motivated and deliver more titles this season thus selecting the right tactics and players and the 55 years old believe the team will not lose focus on the back of their 2-1 aggregate super cup loss to city rivals Atletico.
Despite signing James Rodriguez, Keylor Navas and Toni Kroos Real Madrid is still looking short of players in some positions.
A high profile centre back will probably help boost their defence with Pepe increasing in age and Varane still having a long way to go although he has proven he can handle the responsibility with his latest performance against Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid is looking set to offload world cup finalist’s duo of Sami Khedira and Angel Di Maria which many has termed as a wrong move.
Either wrong or right, Real Madrid will still need to bring in a high profile forward with Karim Benzema becoming a ‘figure head’ in the attack.
Karim Benzema is arguably one of the weakest link in the team which rely too much on Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale for goals; if not fixed, it can be a major undoing for the club in the 2014/2015 season.
The loss to Atletico Madrid may have hurt Real Madrid fans and players but it’s expected they get the victory against a newly promoted Cordoba on Monday at the Santiago Bernabau.
