MU Shorts
Three takeaways for Real Madrid from the US pre-season tour
Real Madrid began their pre-season tour of the United States of America on a strong footing, as consecutive victories against AC Milan and Manchester United strengthened the team’s morale on an immediate basis.
However, performances began to derail and back-to-back losses versus Barcelona and Juventus saw them conclude the tour with a bitter after-taste.
Despite mixed sensations towards the end, the pre-season served its purpose as the ideal groundwork for the forthcoming campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti managed to tinker with his newly assembled squad, with the coach bound to grasp a better idea of his team’s dynamics before the actual season starts.
Here are three takeaways from Los Blancos’ US pre-season tour.
1. Bellingham is ready for the big stage
Real Madrid’s latest acquisition, Jude Bellingham, enjoyed a blissful start to life with the Merengues. The midfielder was at the receiving end of a few tough losses but provided innumerable glimpses of his exceptional talent.
After an impressive debut versus AC Milan, Bellingham instantly stamped his name on the scoreboard against Manchester United in merely the sixth minute with an audacious chip from the edge of the box.
Apart from showcasing deadly final-third instincts, he played with excellent panache in every game he participated in. Simplicity is often the glory of expression, and Bellingham encapsulated that with his tender touches on the ball.
Against Juventus, he was not involved on the scoresheet but was at the heart of many offensive plays constructed by Madrid. In addition to playing as a connector between the lines, his duel winning was on display. The 20-year-old’s ball-carrying from deep and swiftness to evade pressure allowed Madrid to generate advantages from very little.
2. Real Madrid need a top No. 9
With the conclusion of the pre-season, it has become clearer than ever that Real Madrid are struggling to score goals in the absence of Karim Benzema.
While Ancelotti tested out a two-man front line with various permutations and combinations involving Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, and Joselu, a great deal of chances went down the drain, owing to the lack of finishers up front.
In the Clasico, Madrid outmatched Barcelona by a whopping 29 shots to 12, while the closing game versus Juventus entailed a similar script, with Los Blancos’ 34 shots trumping the Bianconeri’s 11.
The acquisition of Joselu has not instilled much hope too, due to the player’s inconsistencies in terms of finishing.
With Vinicius and Rodrygo players that prefer to play off a No. 9, it has become clear as daylight that Real Madrid must bolster that department. They have been linked heavily with Kylian Mbappe, and their pursuit of the World Cup winner may heat up following the pre-season.
3. Tchouameni recovering his form
An outstanding upside for Madrid this pre-season was recovering a version of Aurelien Tchouameni that resembled something close to his best after his decline in the second half of the last season.
The Frenchman’s display against Manchester United was simply outstanding, and he looked good every time he stepped out on the pitch.
The holding midfielder oozed excellence in the first phase as his tranquility while playing out from the back enabled Madrid to seamlessly bypass pressure. His ability to eat up ground and impose himself in duels rendered him a huge protection for the Madrid back-line as well.
The Frenchman, in most games, was cool as a cucumber recycling possession and provided a reliable presence in possession. Tchouameni even came close to scoring one of the goals of the pre-season against Barcelona, but ended up hitting the woodwork from range.
Positive signs for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid’s season, under the returning Jose Mourinho, has not started as expected at the club.
In terms of results, eight matches have produced six wins one draw and two defeats in all competitions. Both losses have come in La Liga (five wins), leading to the Merengues occupying the fourth place in the table.
Meanwhile, arch-rivals Barcelona have maintained a perfect winning record riding on their relentless goalscoring form, opening up a six-point lead at the table.
Mourinho is using the international break to analyse what has gone wrong and what can be improved. And, several metrics and statistics show that Real Madrid has significant room for improvement.
As highlighted a few days ago, Real Madrid are the team that covers the fewest kilometres per match in La Liga on average, at 96.5, almost ten fewer than Barcelona’s 104.5. Los Blancos are also second-bottom for high-intensity runs per match, with 394.
Possession and defensive numbers
There are further figures suggesting that Real Madrid could be doing more in terms of off-the-ball efforts and defensively.
Real Madrid also happen to be the team that commits the fewest fouls, with 59, fewer than half Espanyol’s 120, yet it is also the team that has been fouled the most in La Liga, with 97.
In terms of recoveries, the Spanish capital giants rank 16th with 302, 38 fewer than Barcelona, while they are also near the bottom for interceptions, ranking 17th.
One argument could be that these figures indicate that Real Madrid are dominating games more often than they are dominated, leaving fewer opportunities to be aggressive without the ball.
However, the numbers do not particularly support that theory either. Real Madrid average 52.3% possession, only slightly more than half.
That is a long way behind Barcelona’s 68.7% and also below Villarreal at 61.4%. Even Atlético Madrid (59.1%) and Real Betis (53.6%) outdo the Merengues.
That possession also allows Barcelona to protect themselves more effectively. The Catalans have conceded just 51 shots, including 22 on target, while Real Madrid have faced 89 shots, with 31 on target.
Finishing not up to the mark either
Real Madrid can improve defensively, but the attacking numbers also reveal significant room for growth.
The biggest issue is finishing. The Merengues have scored 18 goals, 13 fewer than Barcelona’s 31.
That is despite the two teams having taken a similar number of shots: Barça have attempted 150, compared with 131 for Los Blancos. The difference is even smaller when looking at shots on target, with 58 for Barcelona and 53 for Madrid.
Barcelona’s players score once every 1.8 shots on target, while Real Madrid stars needs almost three.
The contrast is particularly clear when comparing the leading scorers for both teams, Raphinha and Kylian Mbappe.
The Brazilian has scored 12 goals from just 25 total shots and 16 shots on target. Real Madrid’s No. 10, meanwhile, has scored seven goals from 41 attempts and 22 shots on target.
The numbers clearly show that Real Madrid have a lot of work to do, both in defence and in attack, if they are to close the gap to the top.
Source: AS
