Real Madrid: 3 things we’ve learned about the defense this season
It’s not a secret – Real Madrid aren’t strong defensively. So far during this season in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, Los Merengues have conceded 16 goals which averages to a goal conceded per game so far. Fortunately for them, they have usually been able to score more than their opponents which has gotten them to be fighting for top spot in La Liga as well as the Champions League. Add to that the consistent heroics of Thibaut Courtois as well, and you have certain things that keep your mind away from the fact that Real Madrid concede as much as they do.
After losing their main center-back partnerships over the summer as Raphael Varane departed to Manchester United while Sergio Ramos’ contract with the club ended before his move to Paris Saint-Germain, there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen to the club. Should they look into the transfer market aggressively to find someone who can partner fellow newcomer David Alaba? Should they focus on the players that they have? In the end, Real Madrid decided to focus on the players they have as Eder Militao is the chosen one to partner Alaba in the center while Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy are the starters as right-back and left-back.
Lack of Cohesion
At times, the defense looks like they’re all in top shape and completely in tune with one another, which is devastating to the opposition as they end up lacking ideas of how to penetrate the defense. Unfortunately, though, these times are far in between and a lot of times, we see the opponents find ways to carve the defense and bring the ball into the box. At that point, some last-ditch defending or a header away from a cross is our only hope. What if that doesn’t work? We pray to the goalkeeping Gods that Thibaut Courtois continues to show that he’s the best in the world. Most of the time, he does.
Clearly, that is not sustainable. We suffer constantly and many times, games are a lot closer than they should be. For instance, the most recent 2-1 victories against Elche and Rayo Vallecano should have been out of reach a lot earlier. However, the players and coaching staff are not to blame fully.
Dani Carvajal has continued to be in and out of injuries while on the opposite end, Ferland Mendy only recently returned from an injury that he has been treating since the back-end of last season. While both players were out, we saw changes almost every game at the fullback positions. Lucas Vazquez and Nacho took turns at right-back while even Federico Valverde was once chosen by Ancelotti to play there. On the opposite end, Nacho found himself there as well quite often and when he wasn’t, Miguel Gutierrez took opportunities to show his capabilities as well. Marcelo was also out injured but with full respect to everything he has done at the club, he simply isn’t the player he once was.
The team needs some consistency and we’re seeing that only recently. This will definitely help in regards to how the back four understand each other but is it enough for them to develop a bond that we saw when Varane and Ramos were there? Difficult to say due to the difference in experience – particularly when it comes to Militao, who is still learning but has shown signs that he can be one of the best in the future.