It would be thoroughly absurd to suggest that the Real Madrid squad 2014/15 had a bad season. With a second-place finish in the Spanish La Liga, a semifinal campaign the UEFA Champions League, a round of 16 finish in the Copa del Rey, a runner-up spot in the Spanish Supercup, a victory in the UEFA Super Cup, and a win in the FIFA World Club Cup, the Vikings have enjoyed the kind of season that virtually any other football club in the world would view as a banner year. Add the fact that the wearers of the Real Madrid soccer jersey scored more goals than any other team in Europe this year, and it's clear that this Spanish club is still firing on all cylinders.
And yet, in more ways than one, the season was still something of a disappointment for fans in the Real Madrid home jersey 2014 2015. After Real finally won a 10th Champions League title last spring, many football analysts wondered if the team might be headed back to the top of La Liga. After all, the Vikings haven't won a Spanish championship now since 2012, and have only claimed the title three times in the past decade. (In comparison, this year's victors, Barcelona, have won six times over the past 10 years.)
Cristiano Ronaldo
So what's Real's problem? Why can't this team from Madrid seem to win football titles consistently, and why were they outstripped this year by Barcelona after leading the division for so long?
The answer, oddly, might be Cristiano Ronaldo. Sure, the 2014 Ballon d'Or winner is Europe's top goalscorer once again this year, and is virtually the sole reason the Vikings did as well as they did in 2014 2015. However, therein lies the problem: Ronaldo is the sole reason that Real Madrid are top contenders. The football club relies too much on his talents.
Compare the 2014 2015 version of Real Madrid with the 2014 2015 version of Barcelona, and you'll see how the Vikings might be using Ronaldo almost like a crutch at this point. This year, Ronaldo scored almost 50 goals in regular season La Liga play-not quite half of his team's overall tally, but close. In comparison, Lionel Messi scored just a tad over one-third of Barca's total goals.
The difference isn't because Messi is less talented than Ronaldo. No one would deny that Lionel and Cristiano are on the same level. Rather, the difference is that Ronaldo has to score all those goals, while Messi has less of a weight to carry, thanks to his offensive partners, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
It's not that no one else on the Vikings squad can score goals: striker Karim Benzema, as well as midfielders James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale, have consistently been able to find the back of the net this season. The issue is that, where Messi, Neymar, and Suarez have found a collaborative groove and really become a team this year, Real Madrid is still more or less "Cristiano Ronaldo and company."
Both Ronaldo and Vikings manager Carlo Ancelotti need to push the teamwork aspect more if Real is going to improve in 2014 2015. At this point, the squad would almost completely collapse if Ronaldo fell victim to injury-something the Portugal national team learned the hard way at last summer's World Cup. Furthermore, with Cristiano having turned 30 this year, Ancelotti needs to be prepared for the possibility that the star's prime years are dwindling. Investing in some young offensive talent might be a wise choice for the soccer club.
Defensive Difficulties
The other area in which Real Madrid can improve for the 2015 2016 campaign is in defense. The 
Vikings outscored Barca in this year's La Liga, but ultimately had a weaker goal difference because they also conceded nearly a goal a game.
It's tough to determine exactly where the problem is. Is it Iker Casillas, Real's aging captain, who guards the net? Is it Marcelo, who is brilliant at full back on his good days, but also too inconsistent for a team of this caliber? Or is it the fact that the Vikings still haven't found a fitting replacement for defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso, who transferred to Bayern Munich last summer?
Regardless, it's clear that some defensive reorganizing, and rebuilding need to be done during the upcoming summer transfer season if the Real Madrid squad 2014/15 is to flourish, in the 2015 - 2016 season. After all, Ronaldo can score all the goals in the world, but they won't win the Vikings a championship if the soccer club's defensive side can't block.
Stop by Soccer Box and pick up a Real Madrid jersey to root for the football club's improvement in 2015 2016. And find us on social media to watch for the latest in summer transfer news! You can follow Soccer Box on Instagram, Pinterest and other popular social networks.
