Three months of Real’s involution | Football | Sport

Carlo Ancelotti assured a week ago that he trusts his team more than a month ago. Upon returning from the last international break, he said he felt good and hoped the pitch would back it up. He even pointed to Kylian Mbappe, who he said was “close to 100%”. The message was very direct and presented it as a warning about a changing trend in the season.

However, the click happened the other way around: a classic score of 0–4, a result that, despite the favorable scenario of the first half, meant the last step for a team that had not lost since August. In Madrid, which remained with Mbappe and without Kroos, the decline was evident in the collective functioning, in the repetitive “intensity” and in the play of many names. From a defense lean and cracked, through a midfield without much dictation, to the unintimidating display of a new star, there is no greater confidence than the injured Courtois, the flashes of Vini and the sweat of Valverde.

Mbappe broke his record for most offside calls on Saturday (eight), two more than against Pace de Cassel in the 2023 Cup and Bayern in 2021. He had scored ten in his previous 13 games in Madrid. Some numbers that close the welcome period and open a new stage of testing after the start have more statistics (eight goals, three penalties) than affect the game.

His meeting with Vinicius still leaves significant room for improvement. The Brazilian and Benzema passed each other (in both directions) every 6.2 minutes in the 2021/22 season, a season in which they finally hit it off. At 22-23 it increased to 6.7 minutes. However, according to Opta, with Mbappe this time increases to nine. The South American, who retained his place on the left and has greater passing ability, created eight chances for the Frenchman. On the contrary, three.

Lack of fitness also did not help the former PSG player – a problem that is not new. In his final part at the Parc des Princes he already showed signs of less freshness, and at the European Cup Didier Deschamps confirmed that he was out of form. In Madrid, where he started training a week before (August 7) ​​the competition (14th), he was seen out of focus many times. Viney’s status also shifted him to the centre-forward position.

Less Bellingham and less defense

One step further down is the trail of Jude Bellingham, the amazing nine from Madrid in the early months of the last campaign, and is now forced to carry out more managerial tasks in the scene born of Mbappé. At this point last season he had scored 10 goals on 17 shots on goal; In this match he remains scoreless after seven shots on target. Ancelotti has made it clear that with Kylian he now needs more work than goals and has sent him into a right-footed profile as he believes the left winger is already occupied between Vini and Mbappe.

Moving on, the Englishman did not contribute much to the midfield discourse in the organization of the game, which is one of the main failures. Young people have not yet been able to become independent from Modric and the nostalgic memory of Kroos has mutated into the shadows. Of all the newcomers, none was subjected to such interrogation as Chuameni.

From 10 goals on 17 shots on goal at this point last season, Bellingham has gone to zero on seven shots this season.

Again, the shortage of figures due to injuries and the club’s inactivity on the market intersected with a decline in the performance of its mainstays. Ferland Mendy is no longer an unavailable defender and takes 1.6 fewer goals than last season (4.76 compared to 3.07). Rüdiger’s case is similar, and the recovery record has also decreased (3.95-3.55).

A source with access to the dressing room warned weeks ago, even before the latest defeats, that the German’s very regular performances last year were almost the exception in his sawtooth career. Next to him, Militau continues to search for his version of the crusader until the break. Compared to 2022-23, he wins fewer duels (63.7%-54.7%) and takes 1.2 fewer goals (5.6-4.2). The market opens in two months, although a few days ago the club maintained the idea of ​​using what they have, including the suffering Lucas Vazquez at right back.

Changes over the last month

Since Carletto’s reprimand in the first round of the championship in Mallorca on August 18 – we lacked balance and attitude, he warned – there had been no calm duel for Madrid, a team without a playing structure to cling to in the routine. Intensity and imbalance in defense were almost daily complaints for the Italian. On Saturday, he spent an hour appreciating his team’s efforts and asked them to continue in the same spirit. However, the containment system was blown when the score was 0-1.

The creaking of Madrid football was constant and Ancelotti did not find the key, no matter how many changes he made. Before the Metropolitano, he played miles in a 4-3-3 formation, but problems with the “defensive balance” were daily. There he took advantage of Kamawanga’s recovery to score the fourth inning. No big effects. At Vigo he used Tchuameni as a third central defender in some situations, while at Dortmund he made do without the Frenchman and Camavinga. He turns around in search of the missing square.

Madrid, a team that usually operates well in situations of scarcity and mistrust around them, like last year, today manages an abundance from which it has not always emerged victorious. The failure of the classics now forces him to turn aside from his path.