Numbers don’t lie: Real Madrid have plenty of room for improvement across the pitch

Numbers don’t lie: Real Madrid have plenty of room for improvement across the pitch Real Madrid’s season, under the returning Jose Mourinho, has not started as expected at the club. In terms of results, eight matches have produced six wins one draw and two defeats in all competitions. Both losses have come in La Liga (five wins), leading to the Merengues occupying the fourth place in the table. Meanwhile, arch-rivals Barcelona have maintained a perfect winning record riding on their relentless goalscoring form, opening up a six-point lead at the table. Mourinho is using the international break to analyse what has gone wrong and what can be improved. And, several metrics and statistics show that Real Madrid has significant room for improvement. As highlighted a few days ago , Real Madrid are the team that covers the fewest kilometres per match in La Liga on average, at 96.5, almost ten fewer than Barcelona’s 104.5. Los Blancos are also second-bottom for high-intensity runs per match, with 394. Possession and defensive numbers There are further figures suggesting that Real Madrid could be doing more in terms of off-the-ball efforts and defensively. Real Madrid also happen to be the team that commits the fewest fouls, with 59, fewer than half Espanyol’s 120, yet it is also the team that has been fouled the most in La Liga, with 97. In terms of recoveries, the Spanish capital giants rank 16th with 302, 38 fewer than Barcelona, while they are also near the bottom for interceptions, ranking 17th. Not doing enough off the ball. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images) One argument could be that these figures indicate that Real Madrid are dominating games more often than they are dominated, leaving fewer opportunities to be aggressive without the ball. However, the numbers do not particularly support that theory either. Real Madrid average 52.3% possession, only slightly more than half. That is a long way behind Barcelona’s 68.7% and also below Villarreal at 61.4%. Even Atlético Madrid (59.1%) and Real Betis (53.6%) outdo the Merengues . That possession also allows Barcelona to protect themselves more effectively. The Catalans have conceded just 51 shots, including 22 on target, while Real Madrid have faced 89 shots, with 31 on target. Finishing not up to the mark either Real Madrid can improve defensively, but the attacking numbers also reveal significant room for growth. The biggest issue is finishing. The Merengues have scored 18 goals, 13 fewer than Barcelona’s 31. Not sharp enough in front of goal either. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) That is despite the two teams having taken a similar number of shots: Barça have attempted 150, compared with 131 for Los Blancos . The difference is even smaller when looking at shots on target, with 58 for Barcelona and 53 for Madrid. Barcelona’s players score once every 1.8 shots on target, while Real Madrid stars needs almost three. The contrast is particularly clear when comparing the leading scorers for both teams, Raphinha and Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian has scored 12 goals from just 25 total shots and 16 shots on target. Real Madrid’s No. 10, meanwhile, has scored seven goals from 41 attempts and 22 shots on target. The numbers clearly show that Real Madrid have a lot of work to do, both in defence and in attack, if they are to close the gap to the top. Source: AS