During the post-match media briefing following the tense 1-0 victory against Sevilla, Carlo Ancelotti openly acknowledged the challenges of breaking through opposing defenses without the presence of Jude Bellingham in the lineup.
“If you don’t have Jude or Joselu, you have to use quick combinations, because you lack the reference point”. It does not seem like a coincidence that the team has only managed to score three goals in their last three games in which Bellingham has not been present. So far in 2024, Los Blancos, with the number ‘5′ on the field, have been prolific, scoring 3.5 goals on average per game, including huge ties against Atlético (twice), Barcelona and Girona.
The first explanation for their goalscoring superpowers is the most obvious one: Bellingham is both the team’s top scorer (20 goals) and top provider (8), meaning the impact if he is not there is clear to see. But it is his very particular way of attacking that has left a huge hole in the XI. The graphic below shows the average positions of the side during the 1-0 against Sevilla, where the gap highlighted in red is the one usually occupied by Bellingham, and it’s wide open and looking for someone to be its friend.
Real Madrid are struggling in front of the goal without the contribution of Bellingham.
In terms of statistics, Real Madrid posed a threat despite facing challenges. They attempted 16 shots, but Sevilla players managed to block 5 of them. However, during their match against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas, the final score was a 1-1 draw, with only 10 shots attempted. This highlighted the team’s struggle in testing the goalkeeper. It’s worth noting that playing at home differs significantly from playing away. Interestingly, Madrid’s shot count (19 shots) was nearly double when Bellingham was on the pitch during their 0-0 draw against Rayo at the Bernabéu last year.
