Real Madrid Reports Until Christmas And New Year's Holidays, Defense Needs Improvements

Real Madrid performed well in the first half of the season (Instagram/@judebellingham).

JAKARTA - Real Madrid's journey until entering the break for the Christmas and New Year holidays is fairly slick. They are now at the top of the 2023/2024 La Liga standings, displacing Girona.

Los Blancos' narrow 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves in the 18th week or closing before the break changed the position of the league standings. Madrid shifted Girona to a 1-1 draw against Real Betis.

However, Madrid and Girona both collected 45 points. Carlo Ancelotti's team only won the goal difference.

The score made Madrid's report card in almost half of the season good. Not to mention they closed the 2023/2024 Champions League group stage with perfect 18 points and group winners.

When looking at the details, Jude Bellingham and colleagues' performances are quite fantastic. They have only lost once to 24 matches in all competitions. The percentage of their victory exceeds 83 percent.

Speaking of La Liga this season, Madrid have won 14 of 18 matches or 77.7 percent of wins. Three other matches ended in a draw when they met Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Betis).

Los Blancos' only loss suffered in Madrid Derby against Atletico with a score of 1-3 in the sixth week. Since that last defeat, Madrid have never lost for 99 days.

Shifting to the Champions League, the group stage's perfect points when competing with Napoli, Sporting Braga and Union Berlin are the third time the record has been engraved. Previously, Madrid could also reap all group stage wins in the 2011/2012 and 2014/2015 seasons.

Well, the problem is that the record is like a curse for Ancelotti's troops. You see, the previous two seasons with a record perfect point in the group phase did not carry a Champions League title.

Therefore, this season Madrid has a mission to break the curse of the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's record in the half-season of the league brings its own record when compared to other Europe's top leagues.

The win of 14 with Girona was the best in the top 10 European leagues. They surpassed Inter and Leverkusen (13), Bayern, Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain (12), even though La Liga is the league with the most number of matches played, 18 matches.

In addition, Jude Bellingham, who became a great protagonist in the first half of the season, is included in the list of the top goalscorers in European leagues.

He was under Harry Kane (25 goals for Bayern), Kylian Mbappe (21 goals for PSG), Serhou Guirassy and Erling Haaland (19 goals for Stuttgart and Manchester City). Bellingham is in fifth place alongside Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan).

Bellingham's goal record clearly crossed his personal record, in just four months. In the last season at Borussia Dortmund before moving to Madrid, he even scored 14 goals.

Bellingham's greatness cannot be separated from Ancelotti's cold hands. The Italian coach successfully implemented a new system that prioritized Bellingham's role after the departure of Karim Benzema, the results were optimal.

Bellingham has also been a leader in Madrid. His ability to play in almost all positions on the pitch, his appearance, his combat power, and his talent has made him a favorite in the stands.

The fans often pay their respects to him with 'Hey Jude', the favorite song of the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Jude Bellingham is actually one of many good players who have successfully run Ancelotti's new system to maximize the role of the second line.

Ancelotti's reserve plan that focuses the midfielder plus rotation also makes other names stick out. Lucas Vazquez, Nacho, Fran Garcia, Dani Ceballos, and Nico Paz are the players who contribute optimally even though Bellingham is not as flashy as they are.

The maximum second line had a positive impact on the attack line. Joselu (8 goals) and Brahim Diaz (4 goals) were also boosted when the core player was absent due to injury.

However, a slick report card on the offensive side is not accompanied by the defense sector. The back line has homework before the competition starts again.

This could not be separated from Ancelotti's difficulty playing the best defense because a number of players went back and forth in the treatment room.

David Alaba follows injured colleagues, such as Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, and Vinicius Junior.

This condition made Madrid concede 11 goals in the league. When compared to other teams in European leagues, Los Blancos still lost to Inter (conceding 7), Nice (9), and Juventus (10).

Ancelotti had to find a solution after the Christmas and New Year holidays for the back line so that Madrid's performance would be even more perfect.

Apart from that, Real Madrid can also provide more entertainment for its supporters. The cool features of Santiago Bernabeu can already be enjoyed, such as the 360 video scoreboard. Innovation at the renovation of Bernabeu will provide a new experience for supporters.

As is known, since 2019 the Santiago Bernabeu has undergone the most intensive renovations in the history of stadiums. With nearly 1.2 billion euros in funds, stadiums have been transformed into multipurpose places that can double the club's revenue.

You see, Bernabeu is not only a sports center, but also art and business. Indeed, renovations have not been fully completed due to the slowdown in the pandemic and war in Ukraine-Russia.