• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Betting Offers UK

Best Free Bets & Casino Sign Up Offers For 2021

  • Betting Offers
  • Free Bets
  • Casino Bonuses
  • Home
  • New Sites
  • Free Spins
  • Free Bet Clubs
  • Loyalty
  • Football
    • Premier League
  • Horse Racing
    • Cheltenham Festival
      • Disruptions & Cancellations
      • Old Course v New Course Differences
      • Prestbury Cup
      • Top Trainers
    • Grand National
      • Disruptions & Cancellations
      • Back to Back Grand National Winners
      • How Often Does the Favourite Win?
      • How to Pick the Grand National Winner
      • What is the Virtual Grand National?
  • Irish Lottery
  • Blog

The Cristiano Effect: Exactly What is Going On at Real Madrid?

29 October, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid Shirt
Image Credit: Pixabay

When you’re the champions of Europe, everyone wants a piece of you.

The best in the business, in any sport, have a target on their back after asserting dominance in their field.

Even so, you’d expect all-powerful forces like Real Madrid to cope with the pressure better than they are doing right now.

Los Blancos were demolished 1-5 by Barcelona in El Clásico on Sunday; a result which is likely to cost manager Julen Lopetegui, who only joined the club in the summer, his job.

But the writing has been on the wall for the Madrid outfit for a number of weeks, and they currently sit ninth in the La Liga table after winning just four of their opening ten matches.

Of course, there are two significantly-sized elephants in the room. Zinedine Zidane, the head coach beloved by many, left the club at the tailend of last season despite them once again lifting the Champions League trophy.

And there was also the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, as talismanic as a footballer can be, to Juventus.

But surely the loss of CR7 alone has not been enough to precipitate the Galacticos’ downfall….has it?

A Barren Spell

As we know, if there’s one thing that Ronaldo guarantees when he pulls on your shirt it’s goals, and that has been something that Real have been sorely lacking so far.

Just look at last season, for example. Zidane’s men averaged 2.47 goals per game in La Liga and 2.83 in their Champions League group phase.

In 2018/19, those figures are down to 1.40 in domestic action and 1.67 on the continent.

Chart Showing Real Madrid Goals Scored Per Game

So what is the explanation? Well, clearly key figures aren’t pulling their weight in the absence of CR7. Combined, messrs Benzema, Bale, Isco and Asensio have contributed just nine goals in 30 starts on domestic duty, while in all competitions Marcelo, the left back, is third top scorer.

Some of the blame for that must be apportioned to Lopetegui, of course, who has so far failed to come up with a system which gets the best out of a still-talented squad of players. He may not get the chance, either, if newspaper rumours emanating out of Madrid are to be believed.

The Case for the Defence

It might surprise you to learn that Real Madrid have never been the soundest of sides defensively, even in amongst the collection of silverware they have compiled.

Last season, for instance, they conceded at a rate of 1.16 goals per game in La Liga and 1.17 in the Champions League group phase, which is arguably higher than we might otherwise expect for a team at the pinnacle of the game.

The truth is that those levels haven’t changed all too much so far this term, but they have been cruelly exposed by Spanish football’s two most thrilling entities in 2018/19: Barca and Sevilla.

That duo has put a combined eight goals past Real, and that shows that against stronger performers the likes of Sergio Ramos and co are unable to cope.

Again, there have been injuries to Dani Carvajal and others, while new faces – including Lopetegui and former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – also brings with it an element of uncertainty.

If you really want to win trophies, conceding more than a goal per game, on average, is not really the best way of going about your business.

We Need a Hero

A football club with the nickname ‘Los Galacticos’ has a reputation to uphold: namely, signing the best and most high profile players on the planet.

Flashback to 2009 when Real Madrid’s summer signings were next level ? pic.twitter.com/YHtj8dAunv

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) 30 August 2018

The likes of Raul, Figo, Zidane, Beckham and both Ronaldos have lit up the Bernabeu; a selection of players who can be classed as truly world stars.

A look at Real’s summer signings – Courtois, Mariano and Alvaro Odriozola – reveals rather more modest ambitions, and has left many questioning the financial muscle of president Florentino Perez.

Attempting to fill CR7’s void are Gareth Bale, who has never really taken his game to that level, Karim Benzema – a functional but not world-class centre forward, and the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos; outstanding players, but not ones who have world-conquering star status.

It seems as if Real are also suffering something of a identity crisis right now.

So What’s the Solution?

Betting Odds on the Next Real Madrid Manager October 2018

The most brutal – and yet, in the modern game, most likely – scenario is that Lopetegui will be given his marching orders.

The media are reporting that former Chelsea head honcho Antonio Conte is the most likely replacement. The Italian will certainly stiffen up that leaky backline, but will he aid their goal-shy forward line? He’s not exactly known for his entertaining brand of football, so the jury is out on that one.

The reserve team coach, Santiago Solari, has also been touted, but he hardly brings star quality.

Which begs the question: could Real be set to launch a huge bid to bring Mauricio Pochettino to Madrid?

At 20/1 the bookies aren’t convinced, but frustrations over a lack of summer signings and the ongoing delays to the White Hart Lane redevelopment, plus the fact that Tottenham are all but out of the Champions League, will surely turn the Argentine’s head?

Previous Post: « El Clásico: So Much More Than Just a Battle for Spanish Football Dominance
Next Post: Turkish Airlines Open 2018 Betting Tips: Thunderbear to Prove Lightning Can Strike Twice in Turkey »

Primary Sidebar

Blog

Gordon Elliott with Don Cossack
What Will Happen to Gordon Elliott’s Entries at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival?
Barcelona Camp Nou with Shaded Pitch
Barcagate: Arrests, Resignations and Social Media Attacks at FC Barcelona
Days Crossed Out on Calendar
Which UK Racecourses Have the Most Abandonments?
Rain Falling on Grass Puddle
Why Is Lingfield Park Racecourse So Often Waterlogged?
Runner Tying Shoe Lace
Super Spike Running Shoes: Is It Time Nike Air Zooms are Banned After More World Records Tumble?
More Blog Posts | Full Archives

Archives

Loyalty Offers

  • Acca Bonuses
  • Acca Insurance
  • Best Odds Guaranteed
  • Free Bet Clubs
  • Loyalty Points

Major Events

  • Grand National
    • Disruptions & Cancellations
    • Back to Back Winners
    • How Often Does the Favourite Win?
    • How to Pick the Grand National Winner
    • What is the Virtual Grand National?
  • Cheltenham Festival
    • Festival Disruptions & Cancellations
    • Old Course v New Course
    • The Prestbury Cup
    • Top Trainers
  • Premier League
  • Irish Lottery

Popular Posts

  • Equine Flu Outbreak 2019: Timeline & Latest Updates
  • The Life & Career of Emiliano Sala: From Cow Fields in Argentina to a Terrace Darling in Nantes
  • Brexit & Football: Will Leaving the EU Spell the End of the Premier League As We Know It?
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup 2019 Entries: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who Should You Back?
  • Rooney’s Rap Sheet: After Airport Arrest We Ask Why Wayne Can't Keep Out of Trouble?
  • Manchester United Sack Jose Mourinho: Is it Farewell or Good Riddance, and What Next for the Portuguese Manager?
  • The Brexit Affect: UK & Irish Horse Racing Could Look Very Different After Leaving the EU
  • Gambling Advertising in Sport: Is it Game Over for Betting Shirt Sponsors in Football?
  • Match Fixing in Sport: How Deep Does it Go and Should Punters be Concerned?
  • Fans Behaving Badly: Football Violence, Riots, Protests and Disruptions
  • Cheating in Darts: Coughing, Farting & Outright Deception
  • FOBT Maximum Stake Limit: How the Government Has Made a Shambles of Our Era’s Most Contentious Betting Issue
  • Does Football Have a Gambling Problem? Sturridge Latest to be Charged by the FA For Breaching Betting Rules
  • A History of The Tote: One of Sports Betting’s Oldest Institutions

Related Posts

  • Barcagate: Arrests, Resignations and Social Media Attacks at FC Barcelona
  • Assist to Goal Combinations: Who are the Premier League’s Most Lethal Duo?
  • Messi, Ramos, Aguero & Depay: A List of the Best Players Out of Contract in the Summer of 2021
  • What Have Been the Worst Premier League Title Defences?
  • What are the Biggest Defeats in Premier League History?
  • Football’s Failed Wonderkids: Will Martin Odegaard be the Latest Prospect Who's Career is Unfulfilled?
  • Premier League Manager Statistics: From the Longest and Shortest Reigns to the Most and Least Successful
  • The Premier League’s Longest Unbeaten Home Runs
  • Why Do Football Clubs Employ Inexperienced Big Name Players as Managers?
  • The Closest Premier League Title Races in History: Will 2020/21 Be One of Them?

Betting Blog

  • American Football
  • Athletics
  • Betting Industry
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Darts
  • Football
  • General
  • Golf
  • Horse Racing
  • Motor Racing
  • Politics
  • Rugby
  • Snooker
  • Tennis
betting-sites.co.uk
gambling-sites.co.uk

Copyright © 2021 Betting-Offers.com | BeGambleAware.org 18+