BY
(FEATURED COLUMNIST) ON NOVEMBER 12, 2013
(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
With the international break kicking in
and Real Madrid not in action again until they travel to
Almeria on November 23, it seems like a good time to check in on LosBlancos' progress under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian has already steered them through their
Champions League group with two games to spare, but they have allowed Barcelona
to open up a six-point gap on them at the top of La Liga.
Ancelotti has had to play his hand in accordance with the situation he landed at the
club, though.
That has meant bedding in a collection
of new players, as well as dealing with injuries to Xabi Alonso and Gareth Bale.
Let's take a look at how he's got on so far.
Results:
B
Out of 17 competitive matches, Ancelotti has
guided Madrid to victory in 13.
However, while the draw at Juventus is perfectly acceptable, the results
against the other three sides that make up Spain's top four drag this grade
down.
Points were dropped in a 2-2 draw at
Villarreal, while Atletico Madrid then came to theBernabeu and won 1-0—their
first league win against their rivals since 1999.
Ancelotti experimented with Sergio Ramos in midfield and a returning Gareth Bale in a
front three, allowing Barca to steal the three points.
Performances:
C
While the results have, on the whole, been positive,
Real Madrid's performances have often been lacking.
Even in matches they've won this season, they've often
looked far from comfortable.
They struck it lucky in late away wins
at Elche and Levante and, as previously mentioned, dropped points against Villarreal, Atleti and Barca.
Their Champions League form has been
more impressive though—they hammeredGalatasaray and Copenhagen and remained unbeaten
against Juventus.
Defence:
C
Real Madrid's defence has developed into a real
problem area in recent weeks.
They've given away five penalties in their last four
matches and have conceded 10 goals in their last five outings. It's been six
games since they kept a clean sheet.
It hasn't helped that Ancelotti has
constantly switched his back four around.
It's still unknown whether he favours
Dani Carvajal or Alvaro Arbeloa—or neither, after he deployed Ramos at right-back recently—while he has
shown no preference toward a central defensive partnership either.
To tighten up at the back, Madrid might
benefit from consistency in selection—which has been the case with the
goalkeeping situation, with both Diego Lopez and IkerCasillas performing
well in their respective competitions.
Midfield:
C
Since the return of Xabi Alonso, Madrid's midfield has
began to take on slightly more shape.
He returned against Rayo Vallecano, and
when he went off at halftime, the gap he left was clearly evident.
Like with the defence though, it is
still not obvious who Ancelotti sees in his first choice midfield.
Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso, AsierIllarramendi and even Isco have all featured there this season as the 54-year-old constantly seeks the
right balance.
With the return of Alonso and Ancelotti's
leaning towards 4-3-3, hopefully that balance can be struck after the
international break.
Attack:
B
Especially of late, Madrid's attack has
been the most brutal aspect of Ancelotti's reign so far.
Since Bale has returned to the side on a
regular basis, he has struck up quite the partnership with Karim Benzema and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Between the three of them, they have scored 16 of
Madrid's last 17 goals. They have also accounted for 11 assists.
Madrid have scored 35 goals in 13 league
games, with a further 14 coming in four Champions League games. Their total of
49 betters Barca's 47.
Chief among that attack has been Cristiano
Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward has scored 24 goals this season, bettering
any start to a season he has previously made for the club.
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