“The Super Cup gave us a lot of confidence last season,” he said. ancelotti in his first public appearance in Riyadh, hoping for something similar to happen in 2023 in a tournament that his team did not reach “as a whole” and ended up clearly outclassed by a Barcelona that drew blood from the wound that pulled the Real Madrid.
In a season that will be marked by how teams bounce back due to the World Cup break, Real Madrid are stifling this comeback.
They beat Valladolid 0-2 in a return to the competition with only the quality of Courtois and Benzema keeping them going; It was not worth it against Villarreal, losing 2-1; yes to eliminate Valencia from the Super Cup in a penalty shootout in a game where shortcomings were revealed so that four days later Barcelona exploited them in the final (1-3).
A result that shows no difference between the two teams on the pitch.
Without comfortably dominating possession -54% for Barcelona- Xavi Hernández’s men, who repeatedly highlighted “how” they beat Real Madrid, referring to the “extraordinary” level of play shown by his team, prevailed in the end at the beginning.
25 balls were lost in the first half, 17 fouls were committed for the last to come in duels… data that shows the lack of competitiveness of Real Madrid which was seen on the lawn of King Fahd stadium.
Barcelona helped, anced by a non-existent defense of the white team with big mistakes, in the three goals conceded, which left another two saves in the save Courtois For nothing. He avoided the win, but receiving two goals with shots from the rival inside the small area, released, is a reflection that the defensive solidity is far from reaching Ancelotti’s team.
In the last 14 games they scored 16 goals and left only two clean sheets, Valladolid and Cacereño.
The Italian coach did not hide in his public appearances that recovering the defensive tone is key to winning titles, as did the Real Madrid last season; although few remain, beyond those mentioned Courtois and Benzema, from that team that won the League and ‘Champions’, with the rush that gave them the Spanish Super Cup at the beginning of the year, won the semifinals, definitely, Barcelona.
And the calendar of the white team does not leave room for the recovery that is clearly visible if necessary the legs, and certainly the heads, of the players of Real Madrid; surpassed in both aspects by a Barcelona that, due to the synchronization between its pieces, did not seem to go 638 days without winning a trophy.
Real Madrid has already missed one, the first of the year, and in four days they can say goodbye next Thursday in a Copa del Rey, a single match, where they visit a Villarreal again; the rival who beat them before the Spanish Super Cup, causing Ancelotti to rage for “how” to win, and lose, which Xavi praised so much on Sunday in Riyadh.
Later, Ancelotti’s men visit Athletic Club in the Liga and host a Real Sociedad team that is eight games unbeaten. And, in between, if they manage to eliminate Villarreal, more Copa del Rey.
Matches every three days with a Club World Cup coming up in the first week of February in another trip for the legs, this time in Morocco.
Modric, which serves as a thermometer to assess the state of the team’s game, reflects the fatigue of the team. He was a substitute in the semifinals and played only 65 minutes against Barcelona.
This, along with incorrect errors like sa Mendy, Carvajal, Rüdiger or Ceballoshighlight the reality: Real Madrid needs to recover and he has no time.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
