Real Madrid: 5 biggest questions as attack sputters vs. Osasuna

Real Madrid struggled on LaLiga’s Matchday 11, dropping points to Osasuna on the same day that both Sevilla and Barcelona failed to register wins. It was another disappointing day at the office for Los Blancos, specifically the attack. For the third time this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s side drew 0-0. But even before Ancelotti’s return, Zinedine Zidane’s men drew Osasuna 0-0 in LaLiga.

Here are five burning questions for Real Madrid following this scoreless draw, which felt like a loss to many Madridistas.

Why is Real Madrid so poor against low blocks?

Real Madrid fans have been asking each other this question for years, and no solution has surfaced. Though Zinedine Zidane got Los Blancos back on track in 2019-2020 by winning LaLiga, the club still did struggle against ultra-defensive teams both in the league and in the Champions League. And the same story repeated last season.

This latest 0-0 draw to Osasuna is a sign that while Carlo Ancelotti has put Real in a better position to succeed as an attacking force, all the problems have not been solved. Earlier this season, Real sacrificed defensive stability to put up goals. But this match against Osasuna was one where Real were mostly calm on defense, yet had serious issues finding space.

One of the biggest issues is that Real Madrid are still too stagnant in the penalty box when they have possession against teams that stick 10 men back in defense. They need to have more energy and unpredictability.

Further, Karim Benzema is so good at dropping deep and creating havoc on the ball, but he tends to drift too far away from central areas against these types of teams. So when there are deliveries into the area, the team’s best goal-scorer isn’t anywhere near the action. And against Osasuna, Benzema was surprisingly quiet.

Kylian Mbappe can solve a lot of these problems. Vinicius Junior already has boosted Real’s attack. The right side of the front three, though, remains an enigma, especially when someone must take the initiative.