Real Madrid are miles behind Barcelona, and that gap might not get smaller
Real Madrid are massive underdogs for Saturday's El Clasico. That doesn't make them unique -- most teams are unlikely to beat Barcelona -- but it's particularly stinging for the Merengues, a club who measures success by their standing in relation to their biggest rivals. And not only are Real Madrid facing an uphill battle for this match, that hill is even steeper in La Liga, with the outlook for next season and the season after just as daunting.
Barcelona have built a machine. They are more than simply the best of El Clasico, or even Spain. They are Europe's reigning champions and favorites to capture the Champions League again this season.
Having the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will do that for you. So will Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and the rest of a team that has been carefully molded over years with a clear objective and identity.
It is the latter that Real Madrid miss most. Club president Florentino Perez has shown time and time again that success on the pitch runs secondary to his desire for the club to be in the spotlight. The only coherent strategy or identity he has for the Merengues is a marketing one. For all the money they have spent, Real Madrid are still inordinately dependent on an aging Cristiano Ronaldo, cannot function in the midfield and fail to develop young talent.
If success is defined as being superior to Barcelona, and it is at the Bernabeu, then they have only been successful twice in the last eight years. One of those came under Jose Mourinho, who had brilliantly brought Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira to the club in the year prior, helping shape a functional two-way team. The second was fashioned by Carlo Ancelotti, a spectacular manager of fitting square pegs into round holes, who Perez thought fit to let go a year later so he could hire Rafa Benitez.
Now the club find themselves further and further removed from their blips of success. And the future is as cloudy as ever.
Ronaldo is declining -- albeit still magnificent -- but not able to carry the load he once did. That puts the onus on Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema to take on larger roles, but every summer is filled with rumors of their exits. The same is true of Isco and goalkeeper Keylor Navas. A summer 2014 arrival, Navas has played well but doesn't seem to be good enough in the eyes of the club's brass. But more worryingly, Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Luka Modric are aging, too. Raphael Varane's development has stunted and the Merengues look no more interested in building a complete team than they ever have.
Real Madrid, full of holes, problems and no clear way forward, have to stand up to Barcelona. They need to find answers for Messi, Neymar and Suarez, not to mention a way through Busquets and players like Ivan Rakitic, Arda Turan, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto, all of whom are perfect fits for the club's well-defined system. The Catalans also have some concerns about age, but they do not put as much weight on any of their older players' shoulders or, if they do, those players have more support.
If Real Madrid have one hope, it is Zinedine Zidane. The legend has gotten off to a fantastic start as the club's manager, giving hope that he can do what Mourinho or Ancelotti did in year's past. But most encouragingly, he has the stature to press Perez for the changes and transfer policy that might round out a sensible team. That, combined with the club's spending power and transfer ban stay, might save Real Madrid. They might actually develop a system, an approach, an identity and get the stability the Merengues have so long needed.
In the meantime, Real Madrid play Barcelona as underdogs. They play them 10 points back in La Liga and watching their rivals as favorites in the league and in Europe. And they do it with Barcelona showing no signs of slowing, while Zidane holds the weight of Real Madrid on his shoulders.
At most clubs in the world, Real Madrid's status would be lauded and worthy of a parade. The Merengues are one of the best teams in the world and, yes they are aging, but even without massive additions, they will still be one of the best teams in the world. That alone is terrific. But Real Madrid aren't most clubs.
Real Madrid are successful when they are better than Barcelona, and right now they are not. They're not very close. And they have a lot of work to do to close that gap. If they don't, this won't be a one-off El Clasico, with few stakes aside from a heap of pride. This could be the new norm.
