Rafa Benitez had only been Real Madrid manager for 24 hours, but even amid the cynicism surrounding his appointment, he already was making a lot of sense. “We managers are eternally dissatisfied; everything can be improved on, but it’s difficult to improve what there is,” he told Onda Cero in the Spanish capital, on the radio program Al Primer Toque (via Marca), a day after his unveiling in the presidential box at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The topic being discussed? His new team and the transfer market.
“In time,” Benitez continued, “we’ll talk about what possibilities for signing new players exist—but always aware of what we already have.”
What Real Madrid already have is pretty damn impressive: a Ballon d’Or winner, the world’s most expensive player, one of Europe’s best centre-forwards, three World Cup champions, a World Cup Golden Boot winner, almost 20 internationals, the LFP’s reigning midfielder of the year and a stockpile of precocious talents. As such, Real, as Benitez pointed out, have been in an intriguing position this summer, knowing that, barring something extraordinary, the first XI is difficult to enhance. Essentially, it’s maxed out.
Danilo’s arrival has demonstrated that neatly. He’s carrying a hefty €31.5 million price tag, but he only improves the squad and not the XI. The Brazilian, of course, is the club’s only major signing this summer, marking this off-season an unusually quiet one thus far for a sporting institution whose modern identity lies in this summer period.
In the president’s office, Florentino Perez might find such circumstances to be a cause of agitation; for him the blockbuster signing has become an all-consuming drug. And even AS, an outlet highly critical of Perez’s lavish methods, has fretted about the absence of “transfers of substance.” So should the lack of a marquee signing be lamented? Absolutely not.
Whether by design or not, Real Madrid have stumbled upon what they needed this summer: a certain degree of personnel stability.
The core of the side has, to date, been retained, with this summer’s arrivals bolstering the supporting cast rather than upsetting the rhythm of the first XI. In fact, the arrivals might actually be better labelled as returns, given that Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez and Denis Cheryshev have all essentially been recalled.
The latter in particular was impressive against Inter Milan in Guangzhou on Monday. Brought on as a second-half substitute, the Russian served up a good dose of exactly what he gave Villarreal last season: direct, powerful running and headaches for tired defenders. The Italians were caught unaware.
In a sense, Vazquez, who was also a substitute on Monday, is similar. At Espanyol last term he shone his skill set, with his relentless running, dribbling and tireless work rate—qualities that will endear him to Benitez. Additionally, Vazquez is somewhat unique among modern wingers in that he prefers to hug the sideline rather than cut inside. Thus, not only does he bolster attacking depth; he adds stylistic diversity.
Much the same could be said for Casemiro, who started against Inter. Unlike the metronomic Toni Kroos or the silky Luka Modric, Casemiro is a bit more of a junkyard dog—an adequately polished one, but a junkyard dog nonetheless. Feistier, scrappier than Benitez’s other central options, the Brazilian stands as a point of contrast in the midfield, a rugged ball-winner who relishes the role’s grittier side. His stats from last season’s Champions League campaign, per WhoScored.com, are reflective of that.
For Benitez, that’s trio’s presence—assuming they remain at the Bernabeu—is significant. Though the Madrilenian has simply inherited Carlo Ancelotti’s XI, he has a deeper and stronger array of secondary options, with the “new” faces in reserve adding versatility to his systematic approach.
It’s notable; backups are often more effective when they offer something different to the stars ahead of them; like-for-like replacements only tend to heighten predictability.
However, it’s not just Madrid’s returning players who will strengthen the club’s supporting cast; there’s an incumbent ready to do so, too.
“Benitez has plans for Jese,” stated a Marca headline in June, the Madrid-based daily dispelling speculation over a loan move for the young forward. Already this pre-season, Benitez has shown his hand in regard to Jese, deploying the Castilla product, who was once described by Ancelotti as an “insane talent,” according to Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football, as a striker in the absence of Karim Benzema.
On Monday he opened Real’s account against Inter with a neat finish, and in an all-round sense, he probably represents an upgrade on Javier Hernandez as an understudy at centre-forward.
Encouragingly for Jese—and for Casemiro, Vazquez and Cheryshev, too—Benitez’s penchant for rotation broadens the scope for potential development in 2015-16.
Though Cristiano Ronaldo might be difficult to convince to take a day off, the likes of Benzema, Kroos, Modric, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez will be rested at various junctures by Benitez, the former Liverpool boss a renowned advocate of fatigue management and the use of sports science to shape a selection policy. In that regard, and in many others, Real’s new manager is the antithesis of his predecessor.
Indeed, Benitez’s rotation tendencies should go some way toward addressing the issues Los Blancos had with energy and intensity from January onward last season. With the use of a rigid XI, Ancelotti oversaw a side that hit a remarkable fluency but a side that couldn’t sustain it—Ancelotti was like a Formula One driver with his foot to floor and no thought of fuel management. His successor will almost certainly change that, and he is able to turn to a more dynamic-looking bench that will benefit from an increase in playing time.
Naturally, however, this summer’s bolstering of the supporting cast hasn’t been flawless. Though Casemiro, Vazquez, Cheryshev and Danilo are talented and hungry, they’re also young, relatively inexperienced and without a rich history of success.
In fact, among those outside the first XI at present, only Alvaro Arbeloa is a serial winner, and his future looks bleak in Chamartin. For a squad that’s already incredibly youthful, it could problematic, with this Real Madrid outfit not exactly jam-packed with established leaders and senior figures to navigate inevitable turbulence. The Iker Casillas and Sami Khedira departures play into that.
Additionally, Casemiro’s recall from Porto makes the winter signing of Lucas Silva alarmingly short-sighted. Silva, another holding midfielder now competing with his fellow Brazilian and Asier Illarramendi, has been rendered surplus to requirements. What’s more, his non-EU status takes Real’s tally of such players to four. UEFA’s limit is three; Silva has to depart.
Yet, such issues shouldn’t detract from a summer which, in regard to the squad’s typically revolving door, has represented a constructive deviation from the script. Casillas aside, the squad’s identity has been maintained and its nucleus protected. Concurrently, its major issue—depth and diversity among the secondary options—has been rectified.
It might not be to Perez’s taste or consistent with the club’s recent history. But Real Madrid could benefit from a summer that, oddly, has been very uncharacteristically Real Madrid.
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INTER CLUB PAVIA "C'E' SOLO L'INTER" 