ANALYSIS – This season, Real Madrid seems to have lost its offensive flamboyance. Despite a respectable position in the standings, the Merengues are struggling to score, far behind FC Barcelona who are enjoying an impressive goal difference (+27). From figures to tactical choices, let's focus on the reasons for this unexpected shortage.
The figures paint a relentless picture: this season, Real Madrid is struggling to impose its offensive mark. With a goal difference of just +10, the club sits far behind its eternal rival, FC Barcelona, who boast an impressive +27. This disparity is reflected in the number of goals scored: 21 in 11 games for Real, while they already had 23 at this stage last year. In terms of individual performances, the gap is also felt, with Robert Lewandowski at the top of the Liga scorers rankings with 14 goals, while Kylian Mbappé, offensive “leader” of the Merengues, only has 6.
This decline in offensive performance is partly the result of a strategy which, while ensuring solidity and defensive rigor, limits creativity in attack. This statistical imbalance reflects a reality that Real is struggling to overcome: the team has lost a little of its momentum to dominate the scoreboard, a gap which suggests the challenge to be taken up to achieve the club's ambitions.
A glaring lack of efficiency among the attackers
Real Madrid's offensive setbacks can also be explained by the vacillating effectiveness of its front men. Kylian Mbappé, despite all his will, often comes up against his own excesses: repeated offsides and wasted opportunities which tarnish his record. Vinicius, true to his standards, seems to have slowed down the pace compared to last season. As for Rodrygo, his season was slowed down, first by reduced playing time, then by an injury. Endrick, for his part, is still struggling to assert himself, paradoxically lacking the minutes to leave his mark.
The absence of Joselu (transferred to Al-Gharafa SC), this surface fox who, last season, unlocked the most sealed matches thanks to his profile as a pure number 9, leaves a void in the Madrid attack. As for Jude Bellingham (0 goals this season), now repositioned lower, he has lost this offensive support role which smiled on him so much last year. Thus, the shortcomings in the effectiveness of the offensive line plunge Real into a still unfinished quest for balance, slowing down the team in its conquest of the opposing nets.
An offensive chemistry to build
Beyond the cold statistics and merciless figures another observation emerges: that of a harmony still wavering within the Madrid attack. Since the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, supposed to galvanize the offensive line, the team seems to be stammering, still in search of a truly oiled collective mechanism. Sometimes, individualism arises where symbiosis should be expressed: Mbappé or Vinicius opt for the personal strike rather than the judicious pass, thus ignoring the possibility of a better constructed action. This dissonance slows down the creation of clear chances, limiting Real to individual flashes where they need an overall score, a real offensive ballet.
This lack of chemistry not only takes root in the opponent's box, but also finds its origins in the heart of the midfield. The Tchouaméni-Valverde duo, valuable for their robustness and their slaughter, however lacks the tact of Toni Kroos (retired), this virtuoso of the precision pass, capable of opening defenses with a simple glance. Deprived of such a conductor, Real loses fluidity, with less frequent, less sharp balls, which struggle to reach the forefront.
The tactical disposition, finally, weighs with all its weight on the overall performance. In a 4-4-2 diamond configuration, the Merengues find a certain density in the middle, offering passing circuits and angles to combine. But in 4-3-3, the collective fragments, depending on individual exploits in a system which exposes its limits. Real Madrid's offensive mechanics thus seem numb, as if the talent hidden there was still waiting for the trigger, the key to fully expressing itself.
If you look closely, Real Madrid faces a major challenge: regaining the offensive flame that makes it legendary while preserving the balance of its game. To reconnect with the realism of big nights, the Merengues will have to refine their automatisms and give back to the attack the breath which still escapes them this season.
Walid Soltani.
