Real Madrid are in command of LaLiga and arguably the favorites to win the Champions League this year, given the strength of their squad and their historical performance in world football’s marquee club competition.
It’s no surprise to see the midfield firing on all cylinders after the addition of generational talent Jude Bellingham, while the attack has added depth and versatility with Joselu and Brahim Díaz supplementing the tandem of Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo Goes.
But what may surprise even the most optimistic of Madridistas is how strong the defensive performance has been despite early season-ending injuries to arguably the two best players at their positions in the world, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and center back Éder Militão.
As if that weren’t enough, David Alaba suffered a mid-season ACL tear of his own to further decimate Real’s defensive depth, while other center backs Antonio Rüdiger and Nacho Fernández have dealt with injuries of their own.
Yet to this 26-game point in the 2023/24 LaLiga season, Real Madrid have conceded just 16 goals, which is the best defensive performance Los Blancos have ever had in their history to this point in a league campaign.
Only Nice in Ligue 1 and Yann Sommer’s Inter Milan in Serie A have surrendered fewer goals than Real Madrid. They have done it without Courtois, as Andriy Lunin ranks with Sommer as one of the elite statistical shot-stoppers in Europe.
The young Ukrainian keeper is allowing just 0.50 goals per 90 minutes with a clean sheet in half of his matches. That is Courtois-esque Indeed.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is often under fire, which comes with the territory of managing this club of great expectations, yet he has navigated the central defensive injury crisis wonderfully.
Carletto said it best. What enables Real Madrid to step up and perform defensively with a lack of ideal personnel is how everyone in the squad embodies what it means to be a teammate and defend as a unit.
Nobody in Madrid is selfish. They come together and know the common goal of winning every trophy necessitates this kind of effort. That is exemplified by how players like Dani Carvajal and Aurélien Tchouaméni have shined out of position at center back.