In the initial interviews for Chelsea managers, there was one concern among the club’s hierarchy that became apparent with a few of the candidates. That was the nagging feeling that they were prioritising going to Real Madrid if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer, and may even have been using Stamford Bridge interest to instigate moves. It is difficult to deny the allure of the Bernabeu, and that includes what the defending European champions will look like for the future, before you even consider all that grand history.
Such a stature also points to how Madrid continue to defy the economic realities of the game. It’s all the more impressive since the expectation was that they would be another continental giant left behind by the Premier League’s wealth. The truth is they still have, at least in terms of pure finance, but the key has been how successfully they have adapted to that. It is a lesson for the game, and especially for Wednesday night’s Champions League opposition.
When the current Chelsea owners were surveying football in order to make plans for what the club would look like, an obvious example was Liverpool. Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali felt they could recreate a better-resourced version in London, with all the advantages of the capital. That would be to sign all the best developing talent, and fashion a great team out of it for the long term.
Perhaps they should be looking to the Spanish capital, and seeking more lessons while at the Bernabeu. Madrid have so quickly become what Chelsea want to be, which is going to make it all the harder for Frank Lampard’s side to overcome the European champions.
You only have to compare how the teams will set up. While it is virtually impossible for Lampard to figure out what his best side might be, or the tactics, Madrid have such a clear idea of theirs.
Real Madrid decided in the last few seasons that they were going to be playing 4-3-3 for the next decade, and have studiously set about building one of the best young squads in Europe from that. Most of the finest talent has been identified before the rest of the continent, and the positions gradually filled in with real quality. Specific targets like Aurelien Tchouameni were even signed ahead of Chelsea. With players like him, Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga now going to the next level, it leaves only two major positions left. You can guess which.
One is a hold-up forward to succeed Karim Benzema. The other is a central player to succeed Luka Modric, although the way the game is evolving means Madrid want a box-to-box midfielder rather than a creative passer in the same way.
That is where Jude Bellingham comes in, and may come in this summer. The Bernabeu hierarchy appreciate there is going to be a lot of noise around the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, especially since he also has some of Modric’s passing, but they remain confident they will get him. Previous discussions have gone well. He is their priority. The interest from elsewhere, not least Manchester City and Liverpool, also makes it all the more pressing.
That type of midfielder is now seen as rarer than top forwards. Similarly, Benzema is that bit younger than Modric, and his hat-trick against Barcelona last week would appear to back up the calculation that he can be relied on for longer and hasn’t been adversely affected by fitness issues in trying to get ready for the World Cup. This is why they feel confident in keeping the forward to at least 2024.
Playing into this is the possibility that Erling Haaland might seek to move to Madrid that summer, given his previous interest, and the long-term career plan that would see him experience all of the major leagues. Manchester City would naturally dispute the idea that the Norwegian is going anywhere, but it is more noise that isn’t going away.
Either way, such clarity is a world away from where Chelsea are right now, and maybe a Champions League round too. Far from the London club knowing exactly what players they have to bring in, one of the demands on the next manager is to have an idea of the profile of squad and be ruthlessly willing to immediately get rid of up to 10 players.
They could take lessons from Madrid there, too. Despite all they have won, Madrid showed no sentiment in abruptly discarding club legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. There was no room for nostalgia or emotion. This was now going to be a club for the future.
It should be acknowledged that Chelsea’s ownership did see this, since they were seriously interested in Madrid head of recruitment Juni Calafat. He is a former commentator from Brazil with excellent contacts and an even better eye for a player, who has been primarily responsible for Madrid’s new direction. Many now cite him as more important than any player, given he is so good at identifying the next talent down the line.
Figures like Calafat are not so replaceable, and although it is remarkable to say this about a club like Real Madrid, it is arguably better for football that he does not go to the Premier League. It ensures quality is spread around the game, regardless of resources. It means everything doesn’t just go to England. For this season, he has ensured Madrid have defied those resources to construct a team that are now clear favourites to eliminate a second Premier League side this season after they knocked out Liverpool in the last round.
It dictates this game, too.
Without anything resembling such a vision right now, Chelsea and Lampard are going to have to adapt around Madrid. They’re also going to have to match their running and energy.
None of this is to rule out a Chelsea victory. Stranger things have happened in the Champions League, not least with these two clubs. Many might consider Madrid’s ongoing dominance one of those strange things, having won the tournament in five of the past nine years.
But that dominance comes from the most astute calculation. There has been logic behind it. Chelsea, by contrast, aren’t relying on logic. They’re relying on the unpredictability and magic of football bringing about something unexpected; on base resolve.
The logic, nevertheless, is to expect a Madrid football lesson. The real lesson is in how they have put together their team and planned ahead. It is exactly what Chelsea want to be, and now need to beat.
