Defensive worries for Real Madrid ahead of City tie

At times this season Real Madrid have reached the brilliant attacking heights of last year’s team, but Los Blancos have been let down by defensive frailties on numerous occasions.

Rivals Barcelona have conceded just 11 goals in La Liga, while the Madrid backline has been breached 30 times. Madrid’s defensive struggles seemed to have been addressed last month but in recent games the problem has surfaced again.

In the league, Madrid have conceded six goals in the last two games. This came after a run of seven games in which Carlo Ancelotti’s side kept six clean sheets.

So how does Real Madrid’s defensive record this campaign compare to recent seasons? Since the 2019/20 season, they have finished with 43, 46 and 50 goals conceded in all competitions. With nine or ten games remaining they are on track to concede 50 again this season; above the average but the same number as in their double-winning 2021/22 campaign.

Madrid defence suffers a loss of form

But while, on paper, the Madrid defence is operating on a similar level to last season the performances have undoubtedly dipped. For example David Alaba, so impressive in his first season in Spain, has struggled at points this campaign. Antonio Rüdiger has also looked less assured in recent months and was at fault for Almería’s first goal last weekend.

In addition to dips in form there has been the long-term injury to Ferland Mendy, who has played just 28 minutes in the past three months. Even Thibault Courtois, one of Madrid’s top performers last season, has missed games due to injury.

The season started with defensive fragilities and Los Blancos failed to keep consecutive clean sheets in the first three months. In the coming weeks Madrid have both a Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semi-final to contend with, but that defensive fragility continues to be an issue.

After the humbling 4-2 loss against Girona, Ancelotti emphasised the danger of the recent defensive lapses: “If we don’t have a defensive commitment, this team has difficulty winning games.”

He reiterated those fears after last weekend’s win against Almería, in which Madrid conceded twice: “I don’t understand that in two games we have conceded six goals; we just relaxed.”

“We get to 3-0, we lower our concentration and they score, it makes me angry... Let it serve as a good wake-up call.”

With a semi-final tie against Manchester City and Erling Haaland on the horizon, Ancelotti will have to hope that his team takes heed of his words.