Although Real Madrid continue to march on towards a stunning fourth Champions League triumph in the last five years, there are issues at the Bernabeu.
That’s reflected in their league position and the fact that they’re 15 points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona, while they also suffered a disappointing early exit from the Copa del Rey.
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In turn, that should be enough to raise alarm bells that they need to strengthen and add quality in depth, and according to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, that’s exactly what Cristiano Ronaldo is demanding.
Keylor Navas, Jesus Vallejo, Marcos Llorente, Dani Ceballos and Isco are specifically named as players at risk of being axed this summer, while full-backs, wingers and another striker are said to be needed from the Portuguese superstar’s perspective.
Interestingly, it’s also added that there has been a breakdown between him and Isco, which in turn has resulted in him wanting James Rodriguez to return to the Spanish capital as he continues to impress for Bayern Munich on loan this season.
Given the quality that Isco possesses though, that would surely be a major mistake. Especially for a club looking to compete on various fronts next season and beyond, they can ill-afford to let such quality leave, while in contrast, for some of the bit-part players named above, there is a valid argument that they should move on and be replaced.
Given their drop off this season, particularly in the defence of their league crown, it is evident that changes are needed at Real Madrid. However, Zinedine Zidane will surely need to be careful that it’s tinkering to make key adjustments rather than making too many changes which could serve to disrupt them further and set them back in terms of immediate objectives.
Putting together an unfamiliar squad may take time to settle and reach their peak form, and time is not something that the Real Madrid faithful afford the team.