How can Real Madrid become a worthy opponent for Manchester City

Josep Guardiola's team defeated the 14-time European champions in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, and now Madrid are waiting for changes in the summer.

After Manchester City scored the first of their four goals at the bustling Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, Real Madrid were clearly shaken. Vinicius Junior violently gesticulating complained to coach Carlo Ancelotti, and Karim Benzema gathered the team in a circle.

Everything was messy and nervous. Los Blancos, who were usually the model of calm in the Champions League, showed the same signs of panic as the many Premier League teams that come to City's home stadium every week. And then it only got worse. City hit the gates of Real Madrid three more times before it was over, and with each goal the experienced Spanish team looked more and more incomparable in class with the opponent.

For City, it was a fitting exit to the final. "Citizens", this state-funded franchise, has been flirting with the Champions League for almost 10 years. Of course, they were often close, especially in the 2021 final after one of the great moments when Pep Guardiola brought himself to failure. However, given that Inter will be their opponent in the decisive match, this year seems to be the most likely to be victorious for them.

However, for Madrid, it looked terribly like the end. Los Blancos will continue to be a major player in European football - clubs of this scale do not just drop out of the fight. But their performance in Manchester looked like the last chapter in the history of one of the great teams in Europe.

This mixture of experience and youth was almost identical to the one that beat Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2022. On Wednesday, the older participants looked their age, while the younger group looked as inexperienced as their age suggests. For players wearing any other T-shirt, losing to the scariest team in Europe on the road is perhaps forgivable. But this is Real Madrid, a team that has won five of the last nine Champions Leagues. The end of the fight in the semifinals is a disappointment for her.

Perhaps this was the last real chance for European glory for Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Dani Carvajal. All four are still excellent players, but on Wednesday they showed that they can no longer be counted on to ensure victory in the most important games. Poor performances are occasionally excusable in most cases, but they are not allowed to you if you play for Real Madrid. And if they do happen, it's better not against Man City in the Champions League semi-final.

So, changes are inevitable. The coach may be fired, and the players will be sold and replaced. Positions can be changed, tactics can be changed. But how does all this fit together, what steps can be taken to update — not necessarily rebuild — a still promising team?

Goal.com explains how Real Madrid can return to their usual level and try to close the gap between them and City...

Say goodbye to Ancelotti

Thanks for the memories, Carlo. There are rumors that there may be a vacancy in Rio...

Ancelotti insisted after Wednesday's game that he was not going anywhere and that he planned to finalize his Madrid contract before it expired in 2024. He has earned the right to leave the Santiago Bernabeu — or any job for that matter — on his own terms. After all, this is a coach who has won each of the top five leagues in Europe and four Champions Leagues in his brilliant career.

He has survived and adapted to different eras of coaching, adapting some of the playing styles to his needs, and proving that others can be easily defeated. In a sense, this Madrid team is his masterpiece. At their best, they are a perfectly harmonious group of 11 players who are both patient and destructive in their possession of the ball. Ancelotti made this team work, helping to instill the right mentality in the players, and then allowing them to play.

But, as Wednesday showed, it's not as reliable as it used to be. Signs that Ancelotti might have to leave have been present for most of this season. Madrid has stalled in La Liga and can finish the season third, 20 points behind Barcelona. Thus, this confrontation was supposed to be a characteristic victory for Real Madrid, which he could point to in this strange season in order to keep his job.