Real Madrid firing from distance
So far this season Real Madrid have taken 164 shots from outside the area, the second highest figure for clubs in the top five leagues after Napoli.
The Clásico threw up some interesting statistics for Real Madrid as midfielders Casemiro and Fede Valverde had most the shots on goal at Camp Nou.
The Brazilian took four shots while the Uruguayan had three attempts, with three of former’s and two of the latter’s coming from outside the box. In total, eight of Madrid’s 17 attempts were from outside the area.
So far this season Madrid have taken 164 shots from outside the area (40.29% of the 407 total attempts in 23 league and Champions games), according to data from Opta. Of the teams from the five major European leagues, only Napoli has registered more shots from outside the box with 175, or 42.48% of its 412 attempts in 22 games.
Real Madrid has scored seven from outside the area
Real Madrid’s attempts from outside the area have paid off, translating to seven goals. Barcelona and Bayern Munich top this table, with 12 goals each from outside the box. Although the Catalan club has only needed 109 attempts, while the Bavarian outfit has taken162.
Toni Kroos is the Madrid player who has taken the most shots from outside the area with 33 – only one of which translated to a goal against Celta Vigo. Behind Kroos is Karim Benzema with 23 attempts (one goal against Valladolid). Modric, meanwhile, has been the most successful from outside the box having scored two goals (against Granada and Club Brugge) from just six attempts. The seventh Madrid goal from outside the area was scored by Vinicius against Osasuna.
Madrid has been shooting from outside the area more than any other season in recent years. Zinedine Zidane’s side has averaged 7.13 long-distant shots per game this season, while in the previous three seasons the average did not exceed six attempts. And this may be down to the fact that the French coah has been encouraging his players to have a go from distance.
“We have players for that. Players who pack a punch from outside the area and can harm any opponent that is one of the weapons that we must take advantage of," said Zidane in pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game against Athletic Bilbao.