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Three talking points ahead of Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid travel downtown to Estadio de Vallecas late on Monday night to take on Rayo Vallecano in their penultimate clash before the World Cup. After securing just one point in their last league outing, the men in white will be desperate to get back to winning ways.
Their opponents on the night are placed ninth on the league standings with five wins in twelve games. They are just one win away from contesting directly for a spot in European football and pose a real threat to Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
The manager welcomes back some key players from injury but will also be without some of his veteran stars on the night. Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid’s clash gainst Rayo Vallecano.
1. It’s Tchouameni time again
Aurelien Tchoumeni has been a standout performer for Real Madrid since his arrival in the summer, quickly adapting to life in Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s ideologies.
The French midfielder did not take long to hit the ground running at his new club as he cemented his place as a starter in the team within a month of his arrival. He not only nullified the after-effects of Casemiro’s departure but went one step ahead by providing a more complete profile to his predecessor.
However, Tchouameni was not available for selection in both of Real Madrid’s last two games through injury. After spending over a week on the sidelines, he will be available to the manager when the men in white take on Rayo Vallecano and is expected to start on the night.
Toni Kroos will miss the trip to Vallecas through suspension, meaning that Tchouameni’s role will be more pronounced on the night. He is expected to start alongside Luka Modric and Federico Valverde, though the latter could be pushed to the final third with Eduardo Camavinga taking his place.
The youngster has a massive two months ahead of him as he is the chosen one to replace N’Golo Kante in the starting lineup of the French National team at the FIFA World Cup. With the biggest tournament of his professional career less than two weeks away, he will look to utilise the next two games to get back into his zone and a good match rhythm.
2. Another game without a centre-forward
2022 is a year Karim Benzema can never forget, for it represents the year in which he was officially crowned the best football player on the planet. Yet, his start to the 22-23 season will not be something he looks upon half as proudly at.
The veteran striker last started Los Blancos‘ clash against Elche and even scored on the night. However, he played less than half an hour against Celtic and missed the team’s training sessions subsequently to muscular fatigue.
And, his recovery is once again taking longer than expected. Ancelotti has confirmed that Benzema would be unavailable for the team’s game at the Vallecas which will be the seventh match he misses through injury this season.
The Merengues have the resources to cope with his absence, but the 34-year-old’s injury record is a concerning statistic. Nevertheless, Monday’s game could now be another chance for Marco Asensio to prove his worth alongside Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo who have both taken the new season by storm.
3. Hanging on by a thread
When Real Madrid won El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu, they took a solid three-point lead over arch-rivals Barcelona. However, the last matchday ruined Los Blancos’ party.
On Matchday 12, Barcelona pulled off a last-minute win over Valencia to secure three points at Mestalla. However, Real Madrid dished out a sore display against Girona and fell to a tame 1-1 draw courtesy of a controversial 80th-minute penalty for the visitors.
The defending champions’ lead thus fell to just two points ahead of this week’s round of football in Spain. Following Barcelona’s win over Almeria on Saturday, they currently sit on the top of the table, two points clear of Real Madrid, albeit having played one extra game.
When Ancelotti’s men take on Rayo Vallecano on Monday, the objective will thus be to register a win and regain the top spot. Any other result against Andoni Iraola’s side would indirectly render Los Blancos‘ hard-worked win over Barcelona worthless. A draw will see them on par with their arch rivals while a loss will see them sit in second place.
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
