Is Real Madrid’s team too young to win La Liga this season?

Real Madrid is facing a serious challenge for the La Liga title this term, as always, with Girona emerging as a new force to reckon with in the Spanish top flight.

We have traditionally been exposed to challenges from Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona while the likes of Real Sociedad and Real Betis battle for the top four places.

However, Girona is having a terrific start to the term, and Madrid is struggling to catch and topple them as of November.

Over the last few months, Madrid has smartly reduced the average age of their squad by adding the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Fran Garcia, and Arda Guler to their squad.

Their average age is still around 27, partly because the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are already in their 30s.

Overall, Madrid’s team is younger than it could have been if they had not targeted very young players in the last few windows, and this shows they are building a team for the future.

The Carlo Ancelotti factor

In football, we all know that youngsters hardly have enough in them to win titles, which is a reason clubs ensure they have more than enough experienced players in their group.

But even a team with the right balance of youth and experience will struggle to win games and trophies if they do not have a good manager.

This is why one of the most influential people at Real Madrid now is Carlo Ancelotti.

Don Carlo is the perfect fit for Madrid, considering they are a club that wants to win the Champions League every year, meaning winning other trophies is also a must.

The Italian is one of the most successful managers in world football and is being courted by the Brazilian national team because of his experience and expertise.

With him at the helm, Madrid can be confident that the club’s winning culture will continue.

He has always worked with the players provided to him and is helping the signed youngsters settle in finely as the next Galacticos.

Ancelotti brings stability to the team no matter who the club’s owners sign because he has a winning template that he has designed over several decades at the top of his game.

A winning culture

Beyond Ancelotti, Madrid has a culture of excellence, and you can only win 14 Champions League crowns if you have been absolutely the best club on the continent for a long time.

There is a reason every one of the best players in the world wants to wear the white shirt of Madrid during their playing career.

Los Blancos has been the leading club globally for most of its history and has maintained a culture of winning every year.

They have signed some flops before now, but on a general note, Madrid hardly signs a player who does not shine.

This is because the environment is designed to bring out the best from everyone who steps on it.

When the world asked for a club where winning was the only acceptable outcome, Madrid stepped forward, and they have since maintained this for decades.

This means every player who walks through the door at the Santiago Bernabeu automatically works at their best level to impress the Real Madrid ticket buyers, no matter how young or old they are.

One reason they are not afraid to sign young players who show promise is that they already have the culture and environment to help these youngsters thrive.

Targeted signings

Madrid has mastered the art of signing the world’s best players, with the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, Ronaldo de Lima, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos joining at the peak of their careers.

Florentino Perez has been a man who loves flashy players, so picking the performers mentioned above is not the hardest exercise to carry out.

However, as they started targeting younger players in the last few terms, they also went for the best of them.

Camavinga is still 21 and seems to have been around for a long time. Perhaps he has, considering he debuted for Rennes as a 16-year-old.

All the clubs in Europe wanted to add him to their squad as he continued to defy belief with some of the best football.

Madrid pounced and added him to their squad when he was still 19, and he is proving to be a real bargain.

They competed with Liverpool to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, and defeating the Reds in the 2022 Champions League final helped the then AS Monaco prodigy to decide to move to Madrid.

Tchouameni is already a World Cup finalist, and Liverpool’s interest confirms that he is a world-class talent with much room for improvement.

Los Blancos splashed the cash in the summer to add Jude Bellingham to their group.

The Englishman was the best player at Birmingham and Borussia Dortmund, the two clubs he played for before moving to Madrid.

Every team in the world wanted Belligham, but Los Blancos won the race for his signature and that decision only needs a little explanation now.

The likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have also moved to the club from Brazil after showing terrific potential. Both are a hit in La Liga and Europe already.

In 2024, they will welcome Palmeiras’ Endrick and possibly Kylian Mbappe, who is running down his contract at PSG.

Madrid’s investment in young players has been very strategic, and they have signed the best of the lot from across the world.

It mirrors their philosophy of Galacticos, and all of these youngsters have the potential to become world-class players.

Answering the Girona question

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have traditionally been Madrid’s main challengers for the Spanish league title.

However, this term, Míchel’s Girona side is proving unstoppable at the top of the La Liga standings.

Madrid has done brilliantly to be second on the log and behind them in the standings after 13 matches. Just two points separate both clubs at this stage of the term.

Girona is a truly inspirational side, and their performances have been breathtaking at times, but there is little difference between them and Tottenham.

The Lilywhites have since been humbled in the Premier League after a brilliant start to the term that Spurs ticket buyers enjoyed.

A lack of European football and an enthusiastic squad is pushing Girona to new heights in La Liga, but winning a league is not a sprint but a marathon.

Girona could have a good first half of the season, but they will hardly remain at the top of the standings by the new year.

This is why it is important for Madrid to remain behind them: when the Gironistes start dropping points, which may be imminent, Madrid will go top.

Real Madrid has invested in the right youngsters across the globe and has done it at the right amount in the last few transfer windows.

Their performance in the league and Champions League this season answers any questions doubters may have about the readiness of their squad to win the league.

Camavinga and Vinicius Junior were in the squad when they won their last Champions League crown and now have more than enough experience to lead the club to more trophies.

It would be an interesting season for Los Blancos, and Bellingham may struggle in some games, but he could also have the best campaign of his life.

We look forward to seeing how much success he will bring to Madrid in his first year.