Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez has returned and with him comes a new generation of Galacticos but will they be a silver winning side or will they be a expensive bust?  Soccer 365’s Clark Whitney looks at five obstacles that Real Madrid will face in the 2009/10 football campaign.

By Clark Whitney

Although just one year has passed since Real Madrid last won silverware, it’s been six years since Real Madrid last advanced beyond the Champions League round of 16.  In light of their poor performance in Europe and Barcelona’s recent resurgence, Florentino Perez has returned to Spain’s most successful club, ushering in a new Galacticos era.  Despite having already spent a combined €215m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol, Los Blancos continue to be linked to several other high-profile players.  Even if they fail to land any of their other prospects, Los Merengues have already assembled a veritable dream team ahead of the 2009-10 season.  Success is measured in trophies, however, and Perez’ handpicked squad will have to overcome several obstacles if Madrid are to take silverware next season.  Here are my top five:

1)  Keeping Raul and Guti satisfied

The two have amassed well over 1,000 appearances for Los Blancos, but neither appears to have a place in the Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI.  Even in the height of the first Galacticos era, both saw playing time regularly, but in 2009-10 will surely be relegated to the bench.  As captain and vice-captain, respectively, Raul and Guti are not only strong personalities; they’re well respected leaders in the dressing room.  If the two veterans are dissatisfied, their effectiveness as motivators may be compromised.  Given the challenge Pellegrini faces as he tries to maintain high morale, Raul and Guti are two potential allies the Chilean cannot afford to alienate.

2)  Showing faith in Gonzalo Higuain’s ability

As strange as it may sound, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo may have been more reasonable acquisitions than the talented but seemingly unnecessary Karim Benzema.  Looking back at Madrid’s disastrous 2008-09 campaign, one of the few bright spots was Higuain’s masterful development.  The 21-year-old Argentine scored 22 goals in La Liga—just one less than Leo Messi—and towards the end of the campaign, single-handedly kept his team in the title race.  Even as Pepe’s frustration reached its summit against Getafe, Higuain kept his cool and scored a majestic winner to keep his side within striking distance of Barcelona.

For his efforts, Higuain may, depending on Pellegrini’s preferred formation, be repaid with a seat on the bench this term.  After all, nobody—not even Florentino Perez—pays €35m for a benchwarmer, and there is much reason to believe that Pellegrini will implement a 4-2-3-1 formation with Benzema as the lone striker.  To boot, the man taking Higuan’s spot is nine days younger and, following a disappointing second half of the 2008-09 campaign, may have even more to prove than Higuain himself.  Had the more experienced David Villa or Diego Forlan arrived at the Bernabeu, Higuain would have had much less to complain about.  However, for being snubbed in favor of a player of such similar stature, Higuain must be up in arms.

3)  Ditching the Dutch

In his campaign to regain chairmanship at Real, Florentino Perez made it clear that his arrival would bring to an end any resemblance between his side and Barcelona.  With Catalonia being the traditional destination for Dutch footballers in Spain, it seemed that Perez would try to offload the majority of his team’s Dutch contingent (just under half of The Netherlands’ starting XI, depending on formation, plus Royston Drenthe) in order to help finance his spending spree and restore his club’s “Spanish” identity.  €215m later, and only Drenthe and Ruud van Nistelrooij—probably the two least valuable players of the bunch—are the only Dutch players seriously linked with departures from the Bernabeu.

Unless he resorts to some risky tactics, Pellegrini will be forced to use no more than three attack-minded midfielders, with Kaka and Ronaldo surely taking two of the slots.  Arjen Robben will likely fill the third vacancy, but Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, in addition to Drenthe and van Nistelrooij, will have to settle for places on the bench if they fail to secure transfers.  Having joined Madrid for a combined €128m, all of Madrid’s Dutch expected to be regular starters, and won’t be pleased to ride the bench.  Unless they are sold, the discontentment of Raul and Guti will be only the beginning of Manuel Pellegrini’s troubles in the dressing room.

4)  Kaka, Benzema, and Ronaldo will need time to adapt to the Spanish game and to one another

For Kaka, the transition to La Liga’s style may not be all that difficult.  Having thrived for six years in the defense-oriented Serie A, the Brazilian playmaker will welcome La Liga’s more open style of play.  However, one potential pitfall remains: that he will find it difficult to play alongside the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema, and Robben.  Being accustomed to having his team’s offense built around him, Kaka will need some time to find his niche in the star-studded Madrid side.

Although he has flourished in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons, Benzema is about to make a big jump in his career as he enters the Spanish capitol.  In Madrid, the French international will be a big fish in an even bigger pond, and a massive pressure will be on his shoulders.  If he thought this year’s task of holding off Bordeaux in the Ligue 1 title race was difficult (and, given Lyon’s third-place finish, he probably did), he’s in for a real shocker as he tries to fulfill the role of primary goalscorer for Spain’s most historically successful team.

But the new acquisition who may have the greatest difficulty adapting to La Liga is Ronaldo.  In England, where world-class Iberian and South American players have rarely plied their trade, Ronaldo was a rare and exotic player.  The tight marking he saw in England played to his advantage, allowing him to use his speed to burst past defenders.  In Spain, players of Ronaldo’s skill set, if not his calibre, are quite common, and Spanish defenses have evolved to best deal with players in the Ronaldo mould.  In Spain, CR7 will need to learn to keep the ball close to his feet, a la Messi and Iniesta, if he is to succeed.  Ronaldo’s emotions have been known to get the better of him, and if he doesn’t take his transition in stride, he is liable to let his frustration boil over on and off the pitch.

5)  Manuel Pellegrini has no experience managing superstars

Palestino, Universidad de Chile, and O’Higgins have one thing in common: none has ever been host to a superstar, let alone a whole team of such high-calibre players.  In recent years, Pellegrini has secured to higher-profile positions in Argentina and with Villarreal, but still has yet to coach a true superstar, let alone a whole team of such players.  Although it’s difficult to question Pellegrini’s quality as a coach—his transformation of Villarreal into a serious threat in La Liga has been both brilliant and improbable—the task of dealing with so many strong personalities adds a completely new dimension to his job.  Given the fact that he will only be able to select eleven players to start each week, how Pellegrini deals with the rest of his squad may be the most crucial part of Madrid’s campaign.

There remains hope at the Bernabeu.  A report from today’s issue of L’equipe quotes Ribery as having said: “It’s decided, I wish to leave,” adding “it will be to Real or nothing.”  If Ribery can force a move from Bavaria, Real may offer a cash-plus-player swap, sending Robben, Sneijder, and/or van der Vaart to Germany in exchange for the mercurial Frenchman.  If Los Blancos are able to offload their Dutch stars—something that, given their collective talent, should occur sooner or later—the nine-time Champions-league winners will be able to offer more playing time to the likes of Raul and Guti.  At 32 and nearly 33 years of age, respectively, Los Merengues' most experienced players may accept their roles as substitutes, and could greatly aid in Pellegrini’s management of team morale. 

Time will tell whether or not Madrid will be able to overcome these obstacles.  If not, Perez’ second Galactico era may be as big of a flop as the first.  Either way, Perez has, in the wake of Spain’s Euro 2008 triumph and Barcelona’s historic treble, helped to reestablish Spain as the go-to destination for elite football.  At least one thing’s for sure: this year’s installment of El Clasico will be far more riveting than the last.

HAVE YOUR SAY…
What do you see as the biggest obstacle to Real Madrid success this campaign?  Will the Galacticos Pt 2 be a hit and win silver?  Send your emails to Soccer 365 by CLICKING HERE.