The vertigo of Vinicius, the goals of Benzema and, above all, the saves by Courtois, who is the sixth goalkeeper in the League with the most work, explain the undeniable leadership of Real Madrid. And they also make up the defensive problems, where Militao, Alaba and Casemiro do not give the expected level.
It was the 69th minute when a cross to the area of Muniain, frontal and without apparent complication for the centrals, was finished off on the edge of the small area by Unai Nunez. The central of the Athletic He headed in without a Madrid defender nearby. Militao took care of Yeray, housemiro from Williams and Praise he ignored the rojiblanco, who wasted the center. Which was not an obstacle for the Austrian to ask his teammates for explanations and look for a culprit to blame for his blatant inattention to the brand. Alaba, a charismatic player who sometimes turns his smugness into arrogance when it comes to taking care of defensive tasks, had already made a mistake in the 23rd minute, swallowing a pass to the back that Williams almost made profitable.
✋🏻 SAN @Thibaut Courtois ✋🏻
# ⃣ # TheFootballWithYourBar pic.twitter.com/5aPaeJTtgw
– Bar LaLigaTV (@laligatvbar) December 1, 2021
Militao gets distracted
But if Alaba was unlucky against Athletic, his escort on the axis of the rear, Militao, He again showed gaps in his positional defensive game. In the 22nd minute, he lost sight of a long pass that ended up hitting him in the back and provoked a scoring chance. And five minutes he made an even more serious mistake. Another easy-to-defend front center allowed Raul garcia just finishing off a ball that Courtois prevented from becoming 0-1. The Brazilian ignored the Basque’s marking, as he did against Sevilla in the corner that was the goal of Rafa mir.
Militao gave distance to the forward and Diego Carlos He ended up acting as a screen for the Madridista, who was more than two meters away from Mir and headed with both feet on the ground. The goal caused a cataract of reproaches from the white defenders for the inattention in which they participated Praise, Mendy and his own Militao! This is not an isolated failure. Rivals ‘have taken the license plate’ and are taking advantage of it. Lopetegui showed the way.
Ancelotti did not take prisoners in the subsequent press conference, but pointed to the Achilles heel: “We have to improve in defense. In the last two games we have suffered from set pieces, although fortunately we can enjoy Cuts”. Carletto he was condescending to his own, the problems are not specific to the last games.
Three gold points, and very long-suffering, for him @Real Madrid @Ancelotti: “Today’s football is like that. In the end you always have to suffer”# LaCasaDelFfootball pic.twitter.com/E5KzuEXSjb
– Football in Movistar + (@MovistarFutbol) December 1, 2021
Courtois, piece rate
Thibaut is Real Madrid’s lifesaver. He is the sixth busiest goalkeeper in the League after stopping 42 of the 55 shots received (a 72% success rate). Too demanding compared to that of Ter Stegen in a Barcelona mediocre, 22 stops, or that of Jan Oblak at Athletic most vulnerable in recent seasons, 18.
Beyond positional marking errors, it is true that the rear is not having the help of a very tired midfield. Ancelotti insists on aligning housemiro, Modric and Kroos and the accumulation of minutes, and years, weighs. That explains that of the 15 goals conceded, four came between minute 75 and 90, the time in which they are most punished.
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Especially striking is the case of housemiro, who does not reach the form and that causes him to be late, commit many mistakes and see more cards (4) than necessary. The midfielder has committed 26 fouls, being the most undisciplined white player, ahead of Luke (17) and the impulsive camavinga (fifteen). Misconduct accompanied by protests that reveal his state of madness.
All this explains why he has conceded 15 goals in 15 days, a figure that would be larger if not for a stellar Courtois, who lives his best moment in Madrid. The Belgian, together with Benzema and Vinicius they explain the undeniable leadership of the whites. The rebirth of the Frenchman as a scorer in his footballing maturity, added to the Brazilian’s explosion, make Real Madrid the most lethal team in the League (35 goals). A team with the wild punch of Tyson and glass jaw.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.