Real Madrid’s debacle against Arsenal in the Champions League left several players highly criticized for their performance, but within the catastrophe some were saved from the burning, as is the case of Jude Belingham. The Englishman was the only one of Real Madrid’s four attackers who measured up to Arsenal in the slightest. The number 5 seems to have the gift of ubiquity, he knows how to get there, he knows how to defend, he knows how to see, he knows how to appear and he knows how to finish. Commitment and sacrifice to become the best possible partner for any teammate.
Bellingham is one of those players who arrives at Valdebebas first and leaves last. “I’m happy in Madrid and I think that in the next ten or 15 years I’ll be playing for them,” Jude said a few days ago, and his dedication and commitment were on show against Arsenal, but he can’t do anything if the rest of the fantastic four aren’t playing at a good level.
When it’s Real Madrid’s turn to defend, Bellingham rolls up his sleeves like few others to drop back onto the left wing in a 4-4-2 formation that forces him to work tirelessly; in attack, he is in charge of connecting the midfield with the forwards.
Tense moment with Ancelotti
During the game, the Englishman was no longer happy with what he was seeing or with his manager’s instructions. Around the 30th minute, the English player, together with Camavinga, went to the bench to try to find solutions to what was happening on the pitch. The Englishman, with a gesture to Ancelotti, made it clear that the Italian’s instructions to him and Camavinga did not fully convince him. Bellingham shook his head, showing his disappointment at the instructions he was receiving from the sidelines from his coach.
Bellingham very critical after the game
After the tough game at the Emirates, Bellingham was one of the most critical of his team’s performance. The opposition could “have scored more” goals. “We weren’t even close. That’s the truth, and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals were free kicks, but they could have scored a lot more. They punished us and that happens in top-level football,” he said on Amazon Prime.
“In these games, you need to create more. It’s very rare that you come to a place like this, score a goal and take the lead home. They reacted very well to the transition. We didn’t do enough with the ball to create danger,” Jude continued.
It wasn’t all about the woodwork as Bellingham showed faith that a comeback is possible: “There’s a second leg and that’s what we’re clinging on to. We need something really special, something really crazy, but if there’s one place where crazy things happen it’s at home. 90 more minutes at home to get something out of the bag. We’re still alive, we have 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabéu”.