real Madrid take pride in being the world's richest football club claiming to be the first to generate over a billion euros in revenue in a single season last July Last season they also boasted the third highest wage bill in European football at a staggering 505 million a figure that would certainly have increased this season with the addition of their newest Galactico signing Kian Mbappé However it is a peculiar situation as for some reason their impressive revenue hasn't translated into a squad large or strong enough to compete consistently at the highest level as evidenced by the team's more than occasional struggles this season So what has actually been undermining Real Madrid's ambitions with Madrid trailing 2-nil after 17 minutes in their first leg clash against Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals Carlo Angelotti had turned to his bench in search of a way to swing the tie back in his team's favor However the quote unquote best solution he could find among his substitutes was to bring on makeshift right back Lucas Vasquez who turns 34 this summer for 39year-old midfielder Luca Modric W Madrid fell 3-0 behind by the 80th minute and Chelotti's final throw of the dice was to swap left backs by bringing on Fran Gonzalez for David Alabah and replacing Rodrigo for Brahim Diaz in attack But in the end nothing worked and his team never even looked like getting a goal back to give themselves a little hope for the return leg at home The final score line was bad but Arsenal's overwhelming dominance was worse The match was the latest sign that while Madrid boasts plenty of star names particularly in attack their squad severely lacks the necessary depth to compete against top tier opponents It is a far cry from Angelotti's first spell as Madrid's manager from 2013 to 15 where he could count on a wealth of experienced international players to provide backup in each position on their way to winning the Champions League in the first of those seasons When his successor Zined Zidan then delivered three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016 to 18 their first team squad enjoyed even greater depth even featuring a talented B team of seasoned players like Pepe Nacho James Rodriguez Kovacic Isco and Morata Unfortunately in recent years the squad has been trimmed down significantly They might occasionally splurge on a galactical signing such as Jude Bellingham from Brocia Dutchman for €13 million two summers ago or Mbappe from Paris Sanjaman who commanded a hefty signing fee and earn substantial wages despite being a free signing At the same time they might also invest in promising young talents like Enrich and Arda Guler However in terms of overall balance and quality across all positions the team has become worryingly short on depth By the way if you're enjoying the video so far subscribe so that you don't miss out on our future videos To be fair Madrid have faced a string of bad luck with injuries this season particularly in defense Losing right back Danny Carvajal and center back Eder Millettow to long-term knee issues early in the campaign was a significant blow especially since David Alabah is still not back to full fitness after his ACL tear suffered in December 2023 Still entering this season with only three senior center backs and one orthodox right back was asking for trouble For much of the campaign Angelotti has only been able to rely on nine players that he trusts for the toughest of games Others have played a part Modric has appeared in 49 games despite becoming the oldest player in Madrid's history last October At the opposite end of the age spectrum the 20-year-old center back Ral Asencio has exceeded expectations since being promoted from Castillia the club's B team starting 23 times across all competitions since making his debut in November Danny Sabayios who previously had a rotational role and spent several seasons out on loan finally showcased his value to his parent club until an injury also removed him from the equation in February Young talents who is 18 and Guler who is 20 have shown flashes of their quality But Anchelotti still doesn't consider them ready for the biggest matches As a result the shortage of experienced reliable players in his squad has forced Anchelotti to constantly improvise and experiment with short-term solutions that unfortunately have led to further complications Valverde has been pushed to do too much and has started to struggle physically While Shua and Kamovvinga's form has suffered after being played out of position week to week there has been no clear sense of what Madrid's best starting 11 is or even what the team's ideal formation should be It has been a case of fielding all the available senior players and hoping for a moment of individual brilliance from their bigname forwards to get them over the line While this approach can occasionally yield success like eliminating Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the last two Champions League knockout rounds it has more often than not backfired Evident in heavy defeats in both classical against Barcelona as well as losses to AC Milan Liverpool Athletic Bilba Valenthia and Arsenal In recent years at Madrid there has rarely been a thorough analysis of the squad's strengths and weaknesses in their transfer strategy Neither short-term nor long-term vision seems to be prioritized nor do the tactical preferences of the current coach play a significant role in transfer planning For instance when Karum Benzema the club's second all-time leading scorer with 354 goals left for Altiti in the summer of 2023 Angelotti wanted to sign England captain Harry Kane from Tottenham as a direct replacement But when that request was denied he had to improvise by shifting newcomer Bellingham into a more attacking role A decision that ultimately paid off as Bellingham finished the campaign with 23 goals on their way to securing a La Liga and Champions League double Last summer then saw midfield playmaker Tony Kous retired as well as the departures of reliable utility defender Nacho and backup striker Joseu Meanwhile the only senior player brought in was Mbappé leaving significant gaps in both midfield and defense unressed As if signing Mbappé wasn't questionable enough Madrid are now entertaining the idea of bringing in Trent Alexander Arnold as their new right back But will that truly contribute to resolving their defensive issues the most recent winter window was even more perplexing Despite having three senior defenders sidelined by long-term injuries no reinforcement signings were made Instead Angelotti and his staff were expected to find solutions within the existing squad despite clear indications from the first half of the season that this just wasn't going to succeed Conceding three goals against Arsenal was concerning but what equally stood out was Madrid's failure to score highlighting not just defensive weaknesses but offensive shortcomings as well All three of Venicious Rodrigo and Mbappé are originally left wingers And as much as Mbappé's goals have been crucial both Vinnie and Rodrigo have looked off the pace this season suggesting they may be missing a Benzema type player who can drop deep and create space for them to exploit To watch our video on how Mbappé regained form to become a top contender for the Balandor this season click the first link in the description or the card in the top right corner Angelotti has publicly expressed frustration with his side squad limitations having previously stated his desire to bring in experienced defenders to address long-term injuries back in late 2023 But since signing a contract extension that December the Italian has been more willing to make do with the players he has You could argue that he should be more outspoken about the issues in public However he seems to have accepted that there's not much to be gained from criticizing the club over transfers or explaining himself only to be perceived as making excuses especially given the uncertainty surrounding his job beyond the end of this season The elephant in the room of course is the over€1 billion spent in recent years on club president Florentino Perez's long planned renovation of the Santiago Bernabu The additional revenues anticipated from the revamped stadium were intended to strengthen the club's future financial strength However construction cost overruns and complications with hosting concerts and other non-OOT events mean this financial boost has not yet materialized And Chelotti also deserves criticism for not creating a more cohesive team out of the talented players at his disposal For example playing two forwards who contribute little defensively has made his team vulnerable and placed more burden on those who work hard off the ball Of course this approach may very well be influenced by Perez who specifically hired Ancelotti because he does what he is told Therefore as much as many associated with the club may not want to admit it the ultimate responsibility for Madrid's ongoing struggles this season seems to rest firmly with the upper management If you enjoyed this video hit that like button and subscribe to the channel for more football news stories and insights Also don't forget to hit notifications so you never miss a beat And with that we'll see you in the next video [Music]