Real Madrid 2020/21 Season Preview: Strengths, Weaknesses, Key Man & Prediction

Despite not making any signings this summer, the off-season couldn't have gone any better for Real Madrid.

They're already planning how to successfully defend their La Liga title, but they have sat back and watched as Barcelona have completely imploded. Their fiercest rivals are in the dirt, and Zinedine Zidane will be loving it.

Having said that, Zidane's not naive. His side didn't exactly roar to the league title and came up concerningly short in the Champions League, so there's quite clearly work to be done before the new season gets underway.

Nevertheless, the mood at the Santiago Bernabéu is overwhelmingly positive. Sure, there's a little work to be done, but Real are back on top in Spain and look like they'll be there for a little while longer.

Let's see what state Real are in for the 2020/21 season.

Strengths

Defence

Real's title triumph was all about their defence. They finished the 2019/20 season conceding just 25 goals in 38 games - two less than the infamously fierce back line of Atlético Madrid.

Thibaut Courtois was back to his outstanding best in goal, with Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane offering an imposing shield ahead of the Belgian. Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal proved to be too strong for most wingers, and Casemiro was the midfield glue that held it all together.

Breaking down Real's resilient defence was nearly impossible last season, and Zidane will expect more of the same this time around.

Depth

Where Real truly excel is the depth of their squad. Wherever you look, you have high-profile options capable of filling in whenever and wherever.

Marcelo, Nacho, Éder Militão and Álvaro Odriozola make up one of the finest reserve defences around, while being able to call on Federico Valverde, Isco, Marco Asensio and now the returning Martin Ødegaard in midfield is a manager's dream.

In attack, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior are ready to step in and replace Eden Hazard on the wing. Perhaps Zidane's options at striker aren't the best, but that looks to be Real's only real flaw.

Weaknesses

Goalscoring

This is a weird one on paper. Last season, Real scored 70 league goals - the second-highest tally in the division - and Karim Benzema was the only player not called Lionel Messi to hit over 20 goals. So what's the problem?

Well, outside of Benzema, Real don't have a lot of goals. Centre-back Ramos was second in the scoring charts last season with 11, with Toni Kroos third on four. Vinícius was the next forward, managing just three goals all year. Benzema's backup, Luka Jović, scored twice.

Sure, Benzema is at the top of his game right now, but putting so much faith in a soon-to-be 33-year-old is a little worrying. If he goes down with an injury, where do the goals come from?

The Gareth Bale Media Circus

Zidane probably just wants one day off from the media frenzy surrounding Gareth Bale, but he's not going to get it.

The Welshman's desire to wear shoes outside or eat breakfast in the morning will probably rile up far too many media outlets over the coming year, and all it does is create an unnecessary distraction for the rest of the squad.

Key Man

Courtois will be key in goal, Ramos has a job to do at the back and club-record signing Hazard needs to show real improvement this season, but the focus will again be on Benzema.

Finishing the season with 27 goals and 11 assists in all competitions looks impressive enough on paper, but it doesn't even tell the full story. Benzema's all-round play was so impressive that he was even seen as having an outside chance for the now-cancelled Ballon d'Or.

He will continue to spearhead Real's attack and will hope to prove that he can still hang with the world's elite. All the signs suggest he won't have a problem with that.

Prediction

Some fans fear that Real will be a little stale this season after declining to make any major signings, but the reality is that Los Blancos will still be one of Europe's top sides and could well be even better if Hazard gets his mojo back.

Barcelona's current turmoil will only reinforce Real's belief that they should win La Liga again, and it's hard to argue otherwise. Those two sides were clear of the rest of the pack last year, and Barça have since dropped off. Claiming it's a one-horse race might be a little bit of a stretch, but Real will know they're in the driver's seat.

Anything less than the title will be seen as a failure at the Bernabeu, where fans will expect glory in both La Liga and the Champions League next year.

Prediction: La Liga winners

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