Transfer Rumours | Tactics | Who to buy/sell etc

It's because DoC is seeing Benzema and Bale at the club and Ronaldo gone and wondering where the fk the goals would come from.

Icardi, Hazard and I guess Rodrigo and we'll be alright. We cannot replace Ronaldo's goals with a like for like. No way. Only Messi can do that and that is not happening, not even on FM. All the club can do (and should do) is find players who can make up the goal tally as best as they could.

Well it's important to acknowledge that we lost a super player, many would call him the best ever which is an idea of how good he was.

It's reasonable to expect us not to do as well but this is football, teams with lesser players achieve greatness every season. You can't stop dreaming and believing in your team.

So I do that, but I also think we will reasonably sign someone. I am worried after what I saw transpiring last summer but hope is free

What is the most realistic transfers we could make? Also what is the new coach's system/formation and how would it look with said transfers?

From what we have seen of Lopetegui with Spain, he's played a variety of formations/systems so it is a difficult one to call until we see him in action with us. He mostly stuck with a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formations. Another key point is that he's used striker and strikerless (false-9) set-ups.

It seems like 1 signing he will make will be Rodrigo, who I think will enable him actually play with a striker, but also won't force him into striker only formations. What I am trying to say is Rodrigo can also sit the bench to allow us a false 9 set up.

As for BBC replacements, honestly it's so difficult to know. I think the bare minimum will be Hazard, and the maximum will be Mbappe or Neymar. Pretty much everything in between is on the table imo.

I doubt we get any defensive or midfield signings, just a different implementation of Ceballos, Llorente, and Vallejo.

Kova should not be sold. Part of the reason we have been very successful these past few years is because we've had a very strong bench. The kind of benchwarmers who would go almost anywhere and be guaranteed starters.

You want those to be present at all times because they allow you to rotate your squad freely while keeping the overall quality of your team intact.

That's why having players like Kovacic, James, Nacho, Bale and even Isco (at some point) on the bench was a clear proof that our starting eleven was monstrous.

Now, we're slowly selling one after the other and it's a grave mistake if you ask me.

Kovacic should not be sold or loaned out.

Kovacic wants to play more often, he should be replaced with similar quality but we can't force him to stay

Hazard is a nice player. But no freaking way is he worth anything over 100mill. We bought superior players for 30mill just a few seasons ago the quality of players has gone down drastically over the years. Oh well. At this point I'll be happy with getting James back and getting a new CF. None of the other quoted players excite me and aren't fit to even lace Ronaldo's boots.

We need goals, and arguably speed and somebody who can take on players on the wings. If JL formulates a team like his Spain team, the only thing we'll need will be a RW and a CF. Isco will most likely start as the LW. I don't mind that although I want him closer to our backline but he's like the only one in our team that can take his man on and beat him. If only he was alittle faster. RW is empty, Bale isn't good enough and wants to leave anyways so a WC RW and a WC CF will do the job.

Coentrao and a host of other players will just train with the team until they find a club

We need a number 9, i think everyone understands that and i think we will sign one. I would be surprised if we sign Rodrigo. Valencia are asking for his release clause lmao, i would not spend more than 40 mil on him as a back up.

We need to understand that we’re not going to be able to replace like with like for Ronaldo. There just isn’t a player out there that can have that presence and score those goals.

Hazard is obviously not Ronaldo but he is still a fantastic player. Teams win without a Ronaldo-level player every year. We need to find a way to win without Ronaldo. It’s not impossible, imo we just need a slight change in style, the best possible recruits we can bring in, and for existing players to step up. Change is scary, especially considering the magnitude of the change, but it can be a good thing.

I agree with Deez, people need to stop thinking with this like for like mindset. I think Bayern's model is what we should look at. A team with an excellent n9, and two superior 1v1 wingers who can make the difference in any game. Ribery and Robben in their prime were never as good as Messi or CR but there were season, when they playing at the same level, and were causing as much damage.

I would be more than happy if we build a version of that.

Where we really Ronaldo focused tactics? I don't think so. He was our target upfront for every last third delivery and his world class finishing did the rest. In a many ways he never really had a huge impact on how we played football. This is why you have so many people asking for a finsiher that will produce goals on the same chances.

That doesn't exist, or at least it won't be as good and might not deliver in big games like CR

As long as we get a striker who fights for balls in the final 1/3 i am ok. Only Ronaldo was a fighter in our attack. The other two didn't attack balls they didn't think they could win. I'd get Cavani as a stop gap tbh

Of course there were Ronaldo focused tactics, for years before winning La Decima and afterwards whenever Madrid and/or Ronaldo would reach a slump people would come out in numbers and point out how it's not worth it to have Ronaldo because of how he conditions Madrid's tactical disposition and game plan. His free kick accuracy, selfishness, and wild shots used to be infamous and produced grey hairs in more than one afficionado. and up to last year we were still playing blasphema and a 4312 all to accommodate Mr. Ronaldo who publicly refuses to ever play lone striker.

It is plainly logical that we don't need another Ronaldo to be successful, what we need is good team play and good goal contributors, and there are various ways one can reach and manage that in order to win.

As for James, has no job here unless he can play in the midfield as Kroos or Modric can imo.

Yeah... if you ask me, I think Cavani ends up at Madrid and Hazard at PSG.  They want to move Mbappe to central striker.

Cavani is the one Flo should ask about.

Cavani is available? The fk are we doing chasing Neymar for then?! I mean, I don't mind Hazard, I can learn to like him but I can see Chelsea demanding nothing less that 150mil for him, could be possibly more since he had a great WC campaign.

Maybe, what i meant earlier is towards the end of his madrid career was spending less and less time on the ball, and just wanted touches in and around to box to take a shot on goal. So in many ways he was not impacted in the build up of the play from defense to attack.

that's what i meant, specially in the first half of the season last year, i, like many felt like we just needed someone to finish some of the chances we had.

I get the hate Doc has for Hazard, and even if he is the sideway dribble king, we are in need of a new identity. I would appreciate having him in our team.

If Rodrigo is so expensive why are we even wasting our time when Madzukic is much better. Juve should give us him for free for Ronaldo at this point lol. 100m is a daylight robbery

Re Cavani I agree he is great and I think we should go for him. But I got this feeling that Benzema will play good this season, he knows the responsibility is on him this time and he will take it and prove to ya'll that he is a true Madrid legend. So don't mind either... maybe. Safe option is still Cavani.

We should still get Hazard since Bale is too injury prone and we need atleast 1 galactico on the wing. I disagree with sportsczys prediction. If Madrid are truly interested, Hazard WANTS to come here. He loves the idea of playing in a Madrid shirt