“I like the team defensively. It is where we have improved the most. We are more solid“Ancelotti commented after the victory against Atlético de Madrid. The Italian, faithful to the school of his country, has given Madrid a defensive firmness that is the basis of his game. It has not been easy since, like himself points out, the first games were the opposite. It has gone in a couple of months from the most worrying vulnerability to having one of the best behind in Europe. Chain four games leaving a clean sheet (Athletic, Real Sociedad, Inter and Atlético).
In the case of the League, its beginning could not have been worse in this regard. In his first eight games, until the defeat with Espanyol, he received nine goals, an average of more than one per game. In the next nine he has only conceded six. They are already the third best team in the competition in this regard, behind Sevilla (11) and Athletic (12). In the Champions League, on the other hand, he is the best next to Bayer Munich. Both teams, in the six rounds of the group stage, have received three. Counting all the competitions, from the 1-2 against the Sheriff at the Bernabéu (September 28) who do not endorse two goals in the same game.
Courtois makes the difference
If there is a man who perfectly personifies the exalted defensive moment that Madrid is going through, it is Courtois. The Belgian has sealed his goal up and down, and is responsible for clearing most of the scoring opportunities that they generate for Madrid. Against Atlético he made six saves and already has 48 in the league (he stops 75.4% of rival shots on goal). He is currently the fifth best goalkeeper in the championship in this aspect.
Having found a defense holder of guarantees is another reason for this improvement. Alaba and Militao are the owners of the plot. In the League, according to Opta data, they add 150 recoveries between the two (84 from the Brazilian to 66 from the Austrian). In addition, they have won 119 duels. In this statistic the reference is once again the former Porto (88). On the wings, Carvajal and Mendy provide the perfect balance between defensive work and offensive depth. They have 82 recoveries between them (49 and 33 respectively). The four, against Atlético de Madrid, barely missed 11 passes, demonstrating the confidence they have at the moment. The good performance has allowed that, when there have been changes like Lucas Vázquez or Marcelo, the line has not suffered.
Nor should we miss the help of the men in the center of the field and the front. The extremes, Vinicius, Asensio and Rodrygo, are being fundamental in the aid. In the derby, Friends He was the white player with the most recoveries with six. Also very important in the destruction are Casemiro, Kroos and Modric, who recovered 12 balls between the three against Atleti. The pivot, after a truly worrying start to the season, seems to have found his best version.
“I have a team that leaves me alone because I know what they do on the field. They handle the game very well. They have defensive commitment. It’s a team. They are not just players with great quality“added Carletto at a press conference. There is no doubt that he has managed to get everyone to commit to working forwards and backwards. The key is whether he can maintain this level of intensity. If they succeed, they will have the League in their pocket and They will be able to compete for everything in the Champions League.