These observations — where I look at Real Madrid’s history, its players on loan, Castilla, tactical tidbits, and other relevant thoughts — are now a regular thing. All previous editions can be found here.

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Real Madrid have an exciting season ahead of them. The club is adding Kylian Mbappe to an already star-studded squad that can’t stop winning.

What does this look like? What is unknown? What is exciting? What is intruiging? What is worrying?

The reveal: My top-10 most Exciting / Interesting Storylines For The 2023 – 2024 Real Madrid Season:

Excited: The Vinicius – Mbappe One-two Punch

Are you surprised this is at the top of the list? You shouldn’t be. Vinicius was the best player in the world in the 2023 – 2024 season. Mbappe is generational. Connecting these two on one team sounds like it’s breaking some laws.

It’s not. Be thankful.

This dyad is a cheat-code in multiple scenarios — perfect when you consider Real Madrid is managed by a tactically versatile man whose primary goal is to maximize efficiency. Facing a low block? Mbappe and Vinicius provide line-breaking, unpredictability, link-up, finishing, ingenuity, dribbling. Facing a high-pressing team while you’re sitting deep? Build a press-resistant team and watch Vinicius and Mbappe scorch the earth in transition.

Real Madrid were already the most devastating transition attacking team on the planet. Mbappe is one of the fastest players in the world. People ask: Will Real Madrid play a more attacking scheme; a higher line with Mbappe’s arrival? Why should they? They have even more reasons to blitz on the counter now. They’re main problem will be that smart teams might not let them — they’ll sit deep and plug space.

It will be interesting to see how Ancelotti lines up the team, and who the surrounding pieces are around them. Will Mbappe and Vinicius overload the left side? Will we see a 4-4-2? Vinicius has started to adapt to more central roles.

The easiest prediction: Ancelotti will let them dictate what works and what doesn’t. The two will be interchangeable, primarily, in three zones of the pitch: the left wing, the left half-space, and centrally. It will look asymmetrical, much like it did in the Cristiano Ronaldo – Marcelo – Isco – Toni Kroos – Karim Benzema era. Sprinkled in will be a 4-3-3 with Rodrygo (though, even if he starts, the attacks will be funnelled mostly through the left). Vinicius made several good off-ball runs on the right in the Champions League Final vs Borussia Dortmund, but that was rare.

Vinicius and Mbappe playing together is at the top of the list of things I’m most anticipating for next season.

Excited: Jude Bellingham, Sophomore

Bellingham Year One was a resounding success, as he led Real Madrid into the sunset on the back of one of the greatest debut campaigns in the club’s history. Top five in La Liga in goals, blocks, and through-balls, Bellingham also led the Champions League in assists (five, joint-tied with Marcel Sabitzer). His progressive passing and defensive dominance saw him churn in an assertive season that could put him on the Balon D’or podium.

What does it look like now that he won’t have as much onus to score? To start the 2023 – 2024 season, Real Madrid needed, desperately, for him to step up with Benzema gone, Vinicius injured, and Rodrygo missing chances. Next season they’ll hit the ground running, knock on wood, with both Vinicius and Mbappe ready.

The scouting report is out now. Everyone knew Bellingham was one of the best midfielders in the world at Dortmund. Now they know he can put the ball in the back of the net, and defend, at an above average rate. Sophomore slumps have plagued many great players. Can Bellingham continue to elevate?

We’ve had conversations on the Managing Madrid Podcast about second season Jude: Will he score less because of Mbappe’s arrival? Conventional wisdom would say so. His goals last season came at a time where they were desperately needed. There is less onus on him to score now. He can focus on other aspects: defense, control, ball progression, chance creation.

But I think he can match his output. Optimistic? Crazy? Possibly. Bellingham scored 23 goals on an xG of 14 in the Champions League and La Liga combined.

But that’s what great players do, and Bellingham put up those numbers with little-to-no-space in front of him. Imagine the gravitational pull of Vinicius and Mbappe. Will Bellingham’s off-ball movement see him sneak into great goal-scoring positions undetected?

Allow me to spoil my 2024 – 2025 roundtable “hot take / prediction”: Jude Bellingham will meet or exceed his scoring output from last season.

Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images

I’m excited to see Bellingham Year Two — a superstar playing with less pressure on his shoulders.

Excited: More Güler

Here are the comical Arda Güler number from the 2023 – 2024 season: six goals in 377 minutes; first in the Big Five leagues in goals per shot. His six goals are on par with Raphinha (1368 minutes) and more than Lamine Yamal’s five goals (2208 minutes), as well as Nico Williams’s five goals (2263 minutes).

What does it look like next season? He will have more competition, but he’s also gained more trust, and performed every single time Carlo Ancelotti called on him.

Recently, a fan asked on the Managing Madrid Podcast whether or not Nico Paz could get minutes, even over someone like Arda Güler. It shouldn’t be a discussion: Güler should be groomed and prioritized. Extrapolating his skill-set to a wider range of game-states and different situations could prove beneficial to the team, both now, and in the future.

Güler showcased goal-scoring in his limited minutes, but he also look good defensively, and is very good at pressing. A lot of his Fenerbache scouting report held up in his performances with Real Madrid: He has a lethal shot, a graceful and efficient dribble, and crisp passing. He can whip in deadly set-pieces and even take them directly. Again, his pressing is excellent.

Güler will be competing with Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz for that third attacking spot. He has a lot of work cut out for him. But, and this is just a personal observation and not founded on anything else — his skill-set and versatility may allow him to play deeper. His defense and progressive passing is good enough that he may be able to soak up some minutes at the RCM spot, where he can give Fede Valverde some rest. (Valverde played a team-high 4271 minutes last season.)

Interested: Who Will Replace Toni Kroos’s Control And Authority?

It has long been my stance: You cannot replace Toni Kroos. If you could, it would mean Kroos wasn’t a unicorn. His irreplaceability is a testament to his greatness. No matter how many names you draw out of the hat, no matter how many pages of transfer names you go through, the list comes up short. There is no active footballer that can replace what Kroos does. The greatest players of all time are irreplaceable by nature.

That being said, how can you piece it together? Real Madrid have done a remarkable job building a young midfield to help that transition. All of them are brilliant, but none of them quite have the same progressive passing and overall ascendancy of the tempo of the game. In Real Madrid’s most difficult Champions League game of the season, away at the Etihad, Kroos floated, unbothered by the occasion. He evaded intense pressure and calmed the team down. Real Madrid will need that kind of serenity and leadership moving forward. Luka Modric’s renewal is important for that very reason, but he won’t be a long-term solution.

Aurelien Tchouameni will be important. He can sling vertical balls from deep. Bellingham has the composure and progressive passing to play deeper and slow the game down if needed. Can Arda Güler eventually morph into a deeper role? Will Dani Ceballos grow back into form after a poor season? Camavinga and Valverde are excellent ball-carriers, but may need to be paired with progressive passers to balance out the team’s offense.

The team has a bright future, but that doesn’t mean Kroos won’t be missed. There will be games where his absence will be clear.

Sad And Grateful: Luka Modric… The End?

Last season, before the season started, I had made an oath to feature Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in columns as much as possible. The oath also made it clear: every Madridista should truly appreciate every touch, every pass, every bit of magic that is exuded from these two legends. The reasoning was simple: This might be the last time we can have the privilege of watching them. Kroos left, leaving lumps in our throats. We get to see Modric one last time.

Every Modric appearance now is a gift. Appreciate these bonus laps.

Modric is still great. His minutes may have decreased last season, but his performance levels didn’t. In a crucial bench role, he replaced Kroos on several occasions, providing the same serenity, press-resistancy, and ball progression as his comrade.

Modric played just over 2000 minutes in the Champions League and La Liga combined. I expect that number to rise, despite him turning 39 in September. With Kroos gone, Real Madrid will need Modric’s leadership in midfield, particularly in big games. He may not start regularly, but I predict he will be important. Modric always has been a ‘big moments’ player. I think he has at least a couple more in the tank before he calls it quits.

His offensive production in his time on the field remained respectable. Modric was top-eight in La Liga in key passes and fourth in shot-creating actions per 90. He continues to be an elite passer with a high usage rate. He organizes the team in escaping pressure. He is still a master at reading passing lanes. It is not outlandish to say he can be the best midfielder in the world at any moment he’s on the field, against any team.

How will he respond after yet another major international tournament? That’s a big question.

Modric is in the twighlight of his career. We’ve been saying this for a good five years now. Is it possible he’ll hoodwink us again and keep extending beyond 2025? Don’t take your chances. Appreciate Luka!

Excited: Endrick

Do you remember when Santiago Solari brought Vinicius Jr to the first team at the age of 18, mid-way through the disastrous 2018 – 2019 season, when Real Madrid desperately needed to get Karim Benzema some help offensively? Do you remember how we would stand out of our seat, in awe, of Vinicius beating players at will, only to hold our head when he missed the chance only he could create?

I still remember those days fondly. There was something about the pain, the excitement, and chaos of it all. A season to forget, yet a season we never can forget. Seeds were planted. It was ridiculous and filled with disorder. But you could close your eyes and envision an exciting future.

Endrick arrives to Real Madrid with the club in a vastly different state than it was back in 2019. There will be less pressure on him to perform right away, but if there was, he wouldn’t shy away from it either.

Endrick is exciting. With Joselu gone, he is the most likely candidate to come in if Real Madrid need a target in the box, which makes his role intriguing. Joselu left big shoes to fill, not only because he succeeded as the most successful Real Madrid loan player of all time, but because of his unique profile as a near 2-meter behemoth who dominated the air.

Endrick is different. He will not be able to leap as high as Joselu, but he is a target to hit, and his versatility playing along the front-three can see him pop up in multiple channels while meeting cut-backs in the box or finishing loose-ball scrambles. He is the type of player who can pop in and score goals despite not getting on the ball match. He is a ‘moments’ player.

I don’t expect heavy minutes for Endrick in his debut season, but he will get enough. Everyone will be keeping an eye on those minutes.

Excited: A Militao – Rudiger Partnership

Real Madrid’s defensive line is looking a little thin since Nacho’s departure. Nacho was assurance. He was loyalty. In addition, we’re still not sure how a 32-year-old David Alaba will return from his ACL injury — he may even miss the majority of the season. Eder Militao is slowly returning to optimal match fitness. Real Madrid will sort out their depth by the time the transfer window closes.

Through the trauma of two horrific ACL injuries last season, we got to see Antonio Rüdiger rise to the occasion, commanding the backline to a Champions League and La Liga title. Rüdiger took the opportunity to showcase why he was arguably the best center-back in the world in the 2023 – 2024 season.

Can we get excited about a Rudiger – Militao pairing? For long, Rüdiger took a backseat to Militao – Alaba. That’s fine — someone has to sit! And the Militao – Alaba pairing worked wonders in 2022, as the two balanced a nice two-man dance that complimented each other in ball progression and aggressiveness.

But Rüdiger can’t go back to the bench now. Militao – Rüdiger is probably the team’s best center-back pairing.

Militao looked understandably rusty since returning for Real Madrid. He started to find his stride with Brazil.

Some worry about the ball progression if Militao and Rüdiger start together. But they’re both reliable distributors. Rüdiger’s progressive passing has dipped since his Chelsea days, but he’s still reliable enough. Militao’s has improved since he first arrived from Porto.

Pairing them together also gives you some assurance in the air defending crosses — something Real Madrid have been notoriously bad at. Having Militao back full-time will be a huge boost as he is the team’s best aerial shield among all the defenders. (This is, in part, why Aurelien Tchouameni succeeded as a center-back in his limited time there.)

They will have to learn how to balance the aggressiveness they both bring to the table. Both are firefighters — ‘pessimistic defenders’ as Carlo Ancelotti likes to put it.

Militao and Rüdiger both arrived at Real Madrid as bench options. Their patience, work ethic, and on-pitch execution eventually earned them starting roles. Now they finally cross-paths as center-back partners.

No plan is perfect. This club is cursed with so many injuries and suspensions, you hardly ever get your ‘ideal pairing’. There will be lots of minutes for the new center-back to soak up.

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

But I am interested to see how the Militao – Rüdiger pairing can dominate if given consistent time together.

Interested: Rodrygo Goes vs Eduardo Camavinga

It is the most anticipated, friendly, in-squad competition this season. Rodrygo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga are vastily different players — both brilliant and distinct from each other. But they will compete, indirectly, for that last remaining starting line-up spot.

Of course, football is not that simple. There are plenty of players fighting: Brahim Diaz, Arda Güler, Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos (?). As we’ve seen over the past few years, debating over starting XIs is often futile. Rarely is everyone always healthy at the same time. Teams get picked by default based on availability.

Still, there were plenty of times this season Carlo Ancelotti went into a big game with his full squad, and Camavinga missed out. Toni Kroos’s departure opens that spot up now, but Kylian Mbappe’s arrival takes it away, indirectly.

Ancelotti can either play a 4-3-3 with Rodrygo in attack and Jude Bellingham in a deeper role, or keep last season’s formation and replace Kroos with Camavinga, while Vinicius and Mbappe play up top.

There are no answers yet. Any reports that claim something definitive shouldn’t be trusted. We saw this last year. Even Carlo Ancelotti won’t know until he starts experimenting.

My hope: Camavinga vs Rodrygo won’t be toxic; it’ll be healthy. If it pushes both players to fight, Real Madrid, as a whole, will benefit greatly from that competition.

As a slight aside, I do think Rodrygo is tailor-made as a complimentary piece alongside Mbappe and Vinicius. With little defending from the other two attackers, Rodrygo’s defense can help provide balance. He’ll also have less pressure to score, and more space to work with as his two attacking partners pull the defense towards them with forceful gravity.

Camavinga’s best role is still on the left-side of midfield, where he can both interchange with Aurelien Tchouameni and Ferland Mendy on the left side. He is a different type of player to Kroos, but can provide tremendous balance while picking and choosing his spots to get in between the lines in the left half-space.

The intra-squad competition will be fascinating to watch over the course of the season. I don’t think Real Madrid can hold on to everyone in the summer of 2025.

Excited: Ferland Mendy

With all the noise surrounding Alphonso Davies this past season, it was apt of Ferland Mendy to remind everyone how good he is. ‘Hey, remember me? The lockdown wing-back that was incredible in the 2022 Champions League run? Remember? Anyone? The guy who cleared a sure-goal off the line right before Rodrygo Goes scored his brace against Manchester City?’

We remember, Ferland.

In truth, Mendy’s dip in the 2022 – 2023 season had a lot to do with the stop-start nature of his relentless injuries.

Last season, once he got healthy, he started to gain rhythm in the second half of the season. By the time the Champions League knockout phase arrived, Mendy was Mendy again. And when Mendy is Mendy, there isn’t anyone better defensively from the wing-back position.

Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Personally, I’m a big fan of Davies. But that’s neither here nor there. Whether Real Madrid were to attain Davies or not shouldn’t alter Mendy’s future. Signing Davies would’ve only augmented the necessity of retaining Mendy to contrast Davies’s offensive nature.

Mendy will prove his worth again next season. With Real Madrid’s left-side so top heavy, with both Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe not very active on defense, Mendy’s presence will be vital, and his contract extension is vital. It’s obvious why Carlo Ancelotti loves him.

Interested: The Season, Competition, The Future

Some will not like me playing ‘party pooper’, but, I don’t think it’s feasible Real Madrid hold on to all of their players beyond 2025.

In 2018, former Real Madrid player Mateo Kovacic decided to not wait forever for the Modric – Kroos era to end, and he went to Chelsea (ironically, his playing time did not increase that dramatically).

My hunch is that there will be another Kovacic in the summer of 2025, and it will probably be either Brahim Diaz or Rodrygo Goes.

Rodrygo has hovered the fringes of the starting line-up for a few years now, and just when you thought he was about to break through, Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe. Behind Rodrygo, Arda Güler is breathing down his neck, and Brahim Diaz is right there.

But Ancelotti loves Rodrygo, and on his day, the Brazilian is one of the best dribblers on earth. He will benefit greatly from the space Mbappe and Vinicius create for him. It may lead him to a breakout year, and a starting role for years to come.

If that does happen, Brahim may be the martyr, regardless of how good he plays. Last season, after a terrific year where he performed in the minutes he was given, Brahim didn’t play a single second in the Champions League Final — and that’s without Mbappe in the squad.

It will be hard to keep both.

But that could be good for Real Madrid’s upcoming season, as it allows players to fight for the spot in the minutes they do get. Let the cream rise to the top. Let them fight! It will be interesting to see who takes the mantle. No excuses now. This season, someone will earn a bigger role. Whoever it is will likely deserve it.

Will playing time be an issue for some players? So long as Real Madrid is winning, the tension shouldn’t boil above the surface. Remember: Real Madrid are managed by Carlo Ancelotti. There is probably no one better in football history to manage a situation like this.

If I had to bet: Everything will be fine. Rodrygo will thrive, Arda Güler will grow, Brahim will continue to impress. I still think we are one year away from this issue simmering to the point of a departure. Hence, I look at the summer of 2025 where someone will leave to seek more playing time. Let’s be honest. A player like Brahim is too good to be in his reduced role. The younger players — Güler, Endrick — will be more understanding of their playing time.

Onto the season!