Real Madrid might have missed out to rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga last season, but Carlo Ancelotti led the capital outfit to their 10th European Cup and 19th Copa del Rey title.
Key players departed in the summer, but as expected, incomings were also apparent as Ancelotti looked to put together a team capable of dominating European football.
Sports Mole has taken a look at Real Madrid's 2014-15 campaign thus far.
August
As winners of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid faced La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup towards the end of August. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Bernabeu, but it was Atletico that claimed the trophy with a 1-0 win at the Vicente Calderon.
Real Madrid opened their La Liga challenge with a 2-0 win at home to Cordoba, but incredibly threw away a two-goal lead at Real Sociedad in their next match to lose 4-2 at the Anoeta.
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In the final week of the transfer window, Los Blancos parted with Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso – two players that played strong roles in their Champions League success. It wasn't the start that Ancelotti would have wanted, while star man Cristiano Ronaldo was again being linked with a return to Manchester United next summer.
September
If August was disappointing, then the start to September was even worse. Real Madrid were looking to respond from the Sociedad defeat when they welcomed Atletico Madrid to the Bernabeu on September 13, but it was the Spanish champions that triumphed 2-1. As a result, Real Madrid had only taken three points from their first three league games of the season.
They began their Champions League defence in impressive fashion, however, with a 5-1 win at home to Basel making Ancelotti's side the early Group B leaders. That success was followed by an incredible 8-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna and a 5-1 success at home to Elche.
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Los Blancos racked up their fourth straight win at the end of the month with a 2-0 victory at Villarreal. James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos were both settling in at the Bernabeu, while the goals for Ronaldo were flowing following a difficult start to the season.
October
October started in the best possible fashion as the capital side won 2-1 at Ludogorets in the Champions League to move onto six points, before making it seven wins in a row with back-to-back 5-0 victories over Athletic Bilbao and Levante in the league. Ronaldo netted five times in those two matches - moving the Portuguese onto 15 league goals for the season, which was a record after eight rounds of games.
Ancelotti's team were starting to get into the groove, but still trailed Barcelona at the top of the table. Their third win in the Champions League occurred at Anfield on October 22, with three unanswered goals securing all the points against Liverpool.
Next up was Barcelona three days later and Los Blancos' winning run continued as they beat the Catalan side 3-1 at the Bernabeu. It was also another record-breaking match for Ronaldo - who made it 15 goals in his last seven league games, breaking the Real Madrid record set by Ferenc Puskas, who managed 13 goals in seven games in two separate seasons.
Real Madrid's defence of the Copa del Rey also started at the end of October and Ancelotti's side made short work of Cornella in the first leg of their last-32 clash – recording a 4-1 victory.
November
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Real Madrid again scored four times in their opening match of November; this time against Getafe to continue their winning run. A 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League ensured their qualification from Group A, before they recorded a thumping 5-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the league.
Three more wins were to follow at the end of the month. On November 22, the capital outfit won 4-0 at Eibar, before securing top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over Basel in the Champions League. Malaga were in a good run of form when Real Madrid made the trip to La Rosaleda at the end of the month, but it proved to be another three points for Ancelotti's side.
Since losing to Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid had now won their last 16 games in all competitions and were closing in on the Spanish record of 18 successive wins, which had been set by Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona team in the 2005-06 season.
December
Jese Rodriguez made his long-awaited comeback in the opening match of December, as Real Madrid booking their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 win at home to Cornella. Three days later, Ronaldo netted a record-breaking 23rd La Liga hat-trick against Celta Vigo – taking the Portuguese's tally to 200 league goals in 178 league games.
Ronaldo then surpassed Raul's Champions League goals record by scoring his 72nd European goal in the 4-0 win over Ludogorets on November 9 - making it six wins from six Group A matches and allowing Los Blancos to secure a record-breaking 19th successive win. As a result, the Spanish side were paired with Schalke 04 in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
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Almeria were the next team to suffer at the hands of Real Madrid, who were 4-1 winners in their final league match of the year. They were far from finished, however, with the Club World Cup up for grabs.
Real Madrid made light work of Cruz Azul in the semi-finals to book their spot in the conclusion of the tournament. San Lorenzo waited in the final, but the Spanish side were too strong on the night, with a 2-0 win securing the trophy. That match extended their winning streak to 22 matches and ensured that they finished the year with four trophies.
Star player so far: Cristiano Ronaldo
Must do better: Asier Illarramendi
Where they need to strengthen in January: Another central midfielder if Sami Khedira departs.
Mid-season grade: A
To see Real Madrid's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
Matt Law
