The only strange thing to me is, that the team looks physically weaker than last season, despite having the long and perfect pre-season preparation. Flick's tactic stands and falls depending on the legs of the players.
Only if you press like mad, control the ball most of the game, you can play that highline, otherwise it's suicide. The pressing and control is worse in this season. This isn't a tactical problem, but a physical one and it feels strange because most of the team are young players after a long rest in the summer.
Flick has until December/January time to find the form back, if we want to win a major trophy this season. So around 2-2.5 months. Until then, we can't lose much either as well obviously, or Madrid will get too far ahead in the league to catch up again.
Last season counts also. It's tied with the reason why Madrid hasn't won two back to back titles in Spain since 2006-07 and 2007-08. It's hard to produce two back to back seasons with the same intensity.
Some drop is understandable, it matters what you do to correct it. Normally this is when a good bench is supposed to step in, but we have to find other solutions.
One solution implies having our physical beast back, Raphinha is our leader at all intensity metrics. I don't even care that much about CL now, the danger is allowing Madrid to build a solid lead in La Liga. This season, if we drop 7-8 points behind, we might not get that back.
For all the talk about Rashford, he is very undisciplined for me. Does't know how to play our football, which is understandable. I saw this coming tbh, he's a fine Raphinha replacement on the ball, but off it the difference is huge. In terms of pressing they are not even on the same planet.
Raphinha and Lamine have to be back asap, not just as presence, but as the leaders of the team. Raph needs to up his numbers again, and Yamal to cut the buffoonery.
They are our most key players. Not Pedri, not De Jong, not Ferran, not Lewandowski, and certainly not anyone from the backline.
We don't have many others cards to play. Get Raph and Lamine fit again and put the pressure on them to bring pressing, movement and speed back in the team, especially off the ball, both when we press off possession, but also in possession to move around the defensive setup of the other team.
In moments like these, this is when the real world class players step in. Last season's Raphinha bags two from the chances we had at 1-2 and it's another Celta Vigo episode where we clinch 3pts.