Real Madrid are having a very rough start to the 2024/25 LaLiga season.
Although a ferocious first half helped the Merengue club secure all three points over Real Valladolid, they were unable to defeat Las Palmas or Mallorca.
Out of three easy matches, Real Madrid have procured just around half (five) the points, drawing 1-1 to both Mallorca and Las Palmas in matches they honestly deserved to lose.
The most recent match was particularly humbling, with Real Madrid performing woefully in the first half, with slow starts almost becoming an early hallmark of this year’s Carlo Ancelotti-coached side.
After another lethargic, goalless game from Kylian Mbappe, all the headlines are focused on the highly-paid free agent signing, and it is fair to begin to wonder if Real Madrid aren’t any better off with the me-first forward sucking up chances from his more consistent – and accomplished, at least at the club level – teammates.
Mbappe is a wonderful footballer and probably the most talented player on the planet, but the early criticisms of the former PSG forward are warranted. He’s been terrible through three games against the kinds of opponents his idol Cristiano Ronaldo regularly hat-tricked.
However, as disappointing as Mbappe has been in his start at Real Madrid, he’s actually not the biggest problem or the most notable disappointment. That issue lies a little bit further back.
Without Jude Bellingham, even more will be asked of the current crop of midfielders, and, currently, no midfielder has a greater weight of responsibility in the post- Toni Kroos era than 80 million euro man Aurelien Tchouameni.
To this point, Tchouameni has been excellent for Real Madrid, and even his performances as a center back were elite last season, proving crucial in the Merengues landing yet another prestigious Champions League and LaLiga double.
Unfortunately, Tchouameni has not picked up where he left off this season, and, if anything, he’s been the worst player on the team through three matches. His mediocre defending, inability to control the pitch, utter lack of creative influence from deep, and, quite frankly, dreadfully inaccurate passing have hamstrung Real Madrid against three easy opponents.
You can argue that Mallorca and Las Palmas are underrated and both capable of taking points off Real Madrid, but when you are the defending champions of Europe and the league (by some margin), then you are expected to get the full three points against every team besides Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
But it’s not just about the results. Real Madrid have performed poorly and would have been embarrassed further by, say, Barca or Atleti. Tchouameni has been at the forefront of that.
Real’s issues go beyond one player, as the whole team looks out of sync. Some of that is to be expected with a new, high-profile face, but it’s not like Mbappe can be blamed for Tchouameni forgetting how to pass accurately or for the entire midfield running around as if they lost all higher-level brain functioning with Kroos’ departure.
Maybe the system has changed out of necessity in midfield to accommodate both Mbappe and the loss of the general Kroos, but, again, it’s no excuse for this level of play against Mallorca and Las Palmas.
Real Madrid will come good. They start slow. They pretty much always do. But in order to come good, the most disappointing individuals in the team, Mbappe and Tchouameni, are going to have to step up soon.
Because some of these slow starts have eventually cost Real Madrid in the title race when it’s all tallied up at the end of the season, such as in 2020/21 when a late comeback was not enough to thwart Luis Suarez and a surprise Atletico Madrid.
With Girona now competitive and Atleti reloaded after a very busy summer transfer window, Real Madrid are going to have to respond to the warning signs sooner than usual this season.
Mbappe not finishing chances or working well with his attacking teammates is one issue, but Tchouameni’s failure to execute basic passes, create chances, or set a structural tone without Kroos holding his hand has been the most troubling and profoundly unsettling early season development for Real Madrid.