Jude Bellingham’s performance against Manchester City in the quarter-final first leg on Tuesday raised a lot of eyebrows about his recent form in Spain.
For the first time since his arrival in the summer – for an initial €103 million (£88 million; $110 million at current rates) plus a possible further 30 percent in add-ons, a deal that could become a club record – he has been proposed in some kind of low point.
Bellingham’s performances have been largely outstanding – and although he hasn’t scored since the start of February, he is La Liga’s top goalscorer with 16. No other Madrid player has scored more than 20 goals in all competitions, nor 10 assists (although Vinicius Junior also has 10).
His influence was unparalleled, on and off the pitch, playing for (Madrid fans would say) the biggest club in the world, in a new league and in an unfamiliar, more advanced position where he often had to carry the burden Karim was left behind by Benzema’s surprising departure.
Bellingham has been Madrid’s big player or match-winner on so many occasions in the 2023-24 season – but that wasn’t the story on Tuesday night as Carlo Ancelotti’s side drew 3-3 with City.
“He didn’t score a goal but we scored three goals, the work up front was very good,” said Madrid coach when asked about the 20-year-old Englishman in his post-match press conference.
“Vinicius, Bellingham and Federico Valverde did a fantastic defensive job and that gave us more control.”
Ancelotti decided to make important tactical changes for the City game. He placed Rodrygo on his preferred left flank and shifted Vinicius Jr. to a more central position. He geared his team towards the counterattack, encouraging his players to move the ball quickly and attempt less complicated, more direct connections – particularly in transition.
In La Liga (and often in the Champions League), Madrid are used to dominating the game – and face teams that play defensively against them.
Against City, Madrid only had 39 percent possession and Bellingham couldn’t keep up with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo like they have this season. This also reduced the opportunities for his very successful boxing crash runs.
The passing network map below also shows, using the color of Bellingham’s circle, that he did not contribute much in terms of passing value (i.e. his contribution to his team’s scoring chances). This has very rarely been the case.
Madrid’s 4-4-2 shape out of possession meant that he and Valverde played a disciplined role off the ball, picking off City’s defenders (he was specifically tasked with pressuring Ruben Dias) and trying to force them into mistakes to force what often worked well.
Tuesday’s game was a chaotic clash between two giants, another crazy entry into this glittering modern European rivalry (Madrid and City have now scored 23 goals in their last five meetings), but it also had its tactical themes – as explained by The Athletics Tom Harris. From Madrid’s perspective, their game plan was at least partially successful.
Early on Wednesday morning, back at Madrid’s Valdebebas training complex, it was time to review the game. Ancelotti and his colleagues analyzed everything that had happened – including Bellingham’s performance.
Bellingham and Ancelotti in conversation during the City game
Sources from Madrid’s coaching staff spoken to for this article – like all the sources quoted here, who wished to remain anonymous to protect their position – said that Bellingham may not have had his “most brilliant” game, but that he did He did the assigned “dirty work” very well.
They also recognized that he was the player whose regular style suffered the most from the change in tactical approach – which made Rodrygo the main protagonist in the attack.
“We wanted to keep Rodrygo on the left because his form was better than Bellingham’s and that punished Jude,” said a coaching staff source. “Usually it’s the other way around and Rodrygo has to sacrifice more for the team.”
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Last season’s humiliating defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side (4-0 at the Etihad in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final) sparked concern in Madrid about the gap between them and City. In 2022 they had prevailed against their English rivals – but only their individual brilliance got them past superior opponents.
These concerns only affected the club’s medium-term thinking. There was no knee-jerk reaction – and as for Bellingham, the deal to sign him was all but done by the time they played. But Tuesday’s reunion with City was exactly the sort of occasion where one hoped his signing would make the difference.
Bellingham also went up against the club he rejected to sign at the Bernabeu. There was an expectation that he would play a central role, and the fact that he probably didn’t added to some fans’ disappointment. As might be expected of a player of his stature – and the club he plays for – some media commentators in Spain were quick to express criticism.
Bellingham started in Madrid – and kept going (Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
From August to December – when Bellingham was the undisputed leader of a Real Madrid team weakened by Vinicius Jr.’s injury – he scored 17 goals and provided five assists in 21 games. Since then he has contributed three goals and five assists in twelve appearances.
However, Madrid sources insist they are not worried about Bellingham’s recent performances.
“Physically he is not experiencing his best moments, but we are not worried, all players go through these moments,” say coaching staff sources. “And his first part of the season was off the charts.”
Other sources at Valdebebas recently pointed out how an injury and the two-match ban he served after being sent off in Valencia (for protesting the disallowance of his stoppage-time winner) may have affected his rhythm .
“The interruptions were damaging because he had to slow down when he picked up speed again,” they said.
And despite some signs of fatigue in Tuesday’s game, sources in Madrid’s fitness department, led by Antonio Pintus, could not detect anything untoward.
“He worked a lot in the defensive phase and then appeared less in the offensive phase,” they said.
“He played in a position that allowed him to be less noticeable.”
(Top photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
