Real Madrid's get out clause

So Real Madrid have to figure out a way to be better than Barcelona were last season. Barcelona are going to come out flying and will most likely be the best team in the world if they can maintain the form from last season.

So how do Real Madrid go about overthrowing Barcelona? I think there's one specific way that they can challenge Barcelona and it involves one very specific player. This player has an unbelievable amount of potential and at this point he is actually beginning to fulfil it but he can still get better.

Everybody Compares Messi to Ronaldo, they are the two best players on the planet at the moment, and possibly ever. When you talk about Barcelona and Real Madrid you talk about the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi. However, here's where I think that should change, from a Real Madrid point of view anyway. They should look at Ronaldo, who plays out on the left, as a rival of Neymar. Now, Neymar may well have an even better season than last season and actually challenge Ronaldo for that ridiculous golden boot but I think general consensus is that Ronaldo is the better player. So, suddenly when comparing the two you can say Real Madrid have the better player in Ronaldo on the left. The problem is, that means someone has to go up against Messi.

So do Real Madrid have a similar player to Messi? The answer is yes, they have James Rodriguez and he is looking a better player every time he steps on the pitch. If I managed Real Madrid I would take him to one side and say listen 'you are the key to being better than Barcelona this year'. This could be a failure of a plan because lets face it, trying to be as influential as Messi is nigh on impossible and there is no saying whether Rodriguez, ultimately, has the ability but at the moment he looks like he might. He is not on the same level at dribbling (arguably Messi's best quality) but that is an area he is definitely equipped to improve. From what he showcased last season, the rest of his game is right up there. Potentially this would be too much pressure for him, maybe pressure he doesn't want but it will be clear to see early on if it is working, whether his performances are improving. If they aren't then Rodriguez isn't the type of player Madrid need.

He doesn't have to be as good as Messi, he just has to be even better than he was last season. He has to be as close to Messi as Neymar is to Ronaldo. Seeing the types of goals he scores and assists he provides, it's clear to see that Rodriguez is capable of anything and while taking him to one side isn't going to magically make Madrid unbeatable it may just give him the confidence to step up, instead of allowing Ronaldo to take all the plaudits.

At the end of the day, Barcelona could be even better this season as Suarez will be at full force from the beginning and so Benzema and Bale need to step up as well. Plus there is never anyway of predicting certain outcomes in the season, perhaps Messi will be injured for all of it. The real point i'm making here is my admiration for James Rodriguez and how, I believe, he is one of the very few players who has a chance to be talked about in the same vein as Ronaldo and Messi if he continues to improve.