...
This is where Madrid'swith "superstars everywhere" starts to hurt them. When playing against smaller teams, it's fine to overload the left side and wing it; individual skill wins. But if you play Arsenal or City, that traffic jam on the left side becomes a tactical advantage for the other team. They just double up and block the inside route. Then, it looks like Madrid is trying to open a door with three keys at the same time
Numbers don't lie: Madrid underperformed xG by 9 in La Liga, and Rodrygo's stats dropped when he was pushed wide. So the only player they can sell is Rodrygo. They could also buy Davies for the other side and someone who is a right back. Club is always done early transfers (Bellingham, Mbappé) before the market goes mad. The "three-striker" only works if you have guns that work well together, not clones. Now it's Alonso's job to fix the back line, rebuild the team's spirit, and use all that raw power in a safer way on big nights. And if Rodrygo is sacrificed to do it? That is the Madrid way
"Traffic jam on the left side", "three keys for the same door at the same time", "not clones".
That is what Real Madrid's problem is about. I have tried to describe it in detail like you did, but you found the best fitting metaphors. They have Vinicius Junior who is nothing else but left wing. Bellingham mostly plays on the left side, but I remember how well he has done in the center, but what he has done in the first season, was it more luck than skill? Hard work that came to fruition but can't be repeated? It wasn't normal for a defensive midfielder to fill the gap in the offense like he did. Mbappe prefers the left side.
"Gun" is the thing they are looking for. They had Higuain, Ronaldo, Benzema, and you could count Joselu. All of them were able to play that center forward position as you need it when you have the world's best wingers like Vinicius Junior and Mbappe. I think Mbappe as a center forward is a waste. He needs to be able to cross the defenders ways with his speed. That makes him strong when he comes from the outside as fast as he can and then skips the defenders as if they weren't even there.