Los Blancos won the title this weekend despite major absences, notably that of the Belgian goalkeeper and the Brazilian central defender, key players in the 2022 double and relegated to the infirmary for a good part of the season.
THE real Madrid is once again the king of League. Having won so convincingly may mean that this feat is not as recognized as others – for example, this painful edition under Fabio Capello, with a rise on the last day; or the famous 100 points, under Jose Mourinho, for having reached an unprecedented figure. However, there is at least one good reason why it stands the test of time.
Just look at what happened in the final phase of the Champions League to understand what is the main trademark of the Chamartín club, although it is not a surprise at this point after more than 120 years of history. Beyond these big European evenings, the main novelty lies in the regularity and consistency of this season. Whether away from the Santiago Bernabéu or at home, the champions have shown great reliability.
Lunin, the great revelation
Without Thibaut Courtois, who was thought to be lost for almost the entire 2023-2024 season when it was revealed he was suffering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee (and even further setback afterward ), the challenge was enormous. The arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan was to compensate for his absence, but he was left out of the eleven due to a physical situation and Andriy Lunin became a giant in goal.
When there is a conflict for the starting goalkeeper position, regardless of the team, there are several phases. And one of them is the most crucial, the moment when it is the coaching team who, with all the information collected, must choose. After a few weeks of doubts and strong media pressure, Ancelotti took a step forward and chose Lunin, who finally received trust after several years on the bench and even three loans (at Leganes, Valladolid And Oviedo).
If we only consider the national competition, Kepa participated in a total of 13 days and managed not to concede a goal on eight occasions (nine goals conceded). His teammate, meanwhile, played 20 matches and managed to keep a clean sheet 10 times (he conceded 13 goals). The average is better in the case of the Ukrainian, although both are tied according to the Artificial Intelligence scores of - (7.0). To note that Courteousfor his debut against Cadizalso kept a clean sheet.
Rüdiger’s progress
Many factors explain the collective success of Madridistas, who have only lost once this season, in all competitions. L’Atletico Madridalso beaten in King’s Cupmanaged to win 3-1 in a duel with bad memories for the Merengueswho were upgraded during their visit to Civitas Metropolitano. Antonio Rudiger was far from his best during this September meeting, but he played a key role in his team’s success.
The absence ofEder Militao, injured at the start of the season like the Belgian, needed to find a leader in defense. This role escapes the Brazilian and the German, European champion with Chelsea in 2021, takes on his new role. It’s up to him to form a duo with David Alaba, Nacho Fernández and also“help” Aurélien Tchouameni in this forced reconversion, mission more than accomplished (only 22 goals conceded, nothing to do with the Barca).
Another key player for Ancelotti, Alaba, already mentioned, has been on the sidelines since December and should be absent until June. Although the market is still open and there is talk of the possibility of bringing back Rafa Marin, the Bernabéu club has chosen not to recruit new players. Given the very positive results – they did not lose in 90 minutes throughout 2024 – we can already say that the decision was the right one.
