Real Madrid is one of the richest clubs in the world. It owns the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and every player on the squad is a superstar in some capacity.

Yet, for all this potential, this team has claimed just one Spanish League title in seven years, and has only a few Copa del Rey trophies to delineate any sense of success.

Of course winning the Champions League title last season was a major moment in the team's history, but that memory has faded in the face of this year's failures.

So on to an early summer Madrid goes. Now questions must be answered, the big one being "What does this team do to improve?"

Do not drop Carlo Ancelotti

This will probably happen, but the reality is that the team should not be so quick to dump Ancelotti. The manager made his wealth of mistakes this summer, but he also guided the club through one of the finest stretches in its history earlier this year.

A lot of the failure also came down to untimely injuries to key stars and it would be unfair to pin a poor season sorely on him.

Moreover, he knows how to manage egos and has done a decent job for the most part of making sure the big stars are happy.

But there are things that Ancelotti can do to serve himself well, assuming he keeps the job.

Get a defensive midfielder, or two

Put frankly, this team struggled with balance all year round. The moment Luka Modric went down with an injury, this club suffered mightily. Modric was able to help the midfield overlook its deficiency at regaining possession. He did all he could and then so much more to link the defense with the forwards and proved, when all was said and done, that he was the key piece in the midfield.

Toni Kroos did a decent job deputizing as a "defensive midfielder," but the reality is that he never truly excelled at doing what he does best -- creating.

Ancelotti clearly did not believe in Asier Illarramendi, his only true defensive midfielder, so he essentially left himself without any major options to stabilize the defense.

This should be of utmost important as the team is set well in other areas.

Sell Gareth Bale

Really? Yes. Bale is a solid player, but he is not his best self on this club. This is a man meant to be the main man on his team and it is clear that as long as Cristiano Ronaldo remains, Bale will not get that chance.

Of course, he is only 26 and many might wonder why the team should dish off a player entering his prime for one who is likely going to decline hard in the next few years.

The reason is simple. Ronaldo is a proven commodity and even if he does not score 50 goals again next season, one could feasibly believe that 30 to 40 goals are likely certain.

Bale will not even hit 20 this season. He could hit 30, but that is not a sure bet. Ronaldo will hit 30 and that is why you keep him.

But the other reason for selling Bale is that he nets you a healthy profit that can then be utilized to purchase the much needed defensive midfielder and David De Gea. Speaking of which...

Get rid of Iker Casillas

Is David De Gea the answer? Possibly. But having Keylor Navas around does not make him a necessity.

But one thing is certain: Iker Casillas must go.

The once lauded captain is clearly past his best and the fans have already turned on him. Keeping him around would only exacerbate any issues with the fans while also hurting the team on the pitch. This is not a man capable of stealing games for his team consistently.

There are better options on the bench, but having Casillas around provides an unnecessary distraction that the team could do without.