Real Madrid suffered a real debacle against Arsenal in London. Not even the Champions League is working for the Whites, who are having a season to forget. Mikel Arteta’s side thrashed Madrid 3-0 and the Whites will have to pull off a miracle at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Ancelotti acknowledges that the tie has become very difficult and that it will be very complicated to stage a comeback next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu. The three-goal difference seems like a big one to experience a magical night at the white fortress, but they hope to turn around a tie that seems lost.
“We have to look ahead, make sacrifices, and look at what we can do together.” ‘We have to do everything possible to turn it around.’ Coming back is ”very complicated but we are going to try from the first minute to the last.”
Without a doubt, a miracle is needed if the team is to play again like they did in London. Ancelotti’s team covered 12.7 kilometers less than Arsenal’s at the Emirates. Compared to Flick’s team, the distance rises to 14.5 km. A figure that reflects the lack of commitment of a team that seemed not to be playing for anything.
According to official UEFA data, Ancelotti’s players covered 101.2 kilometers at the Emirates. Arteta’s team covered 113.9 kilometers. A difference of 12.7 kilometers, the equivalent of running up and down the entire length of the Paseo de la Castellana. The match at the Emirates was the game in which Madrid ran the least in this edition: 6.3 kilometers less than the 107.5 that the team has been averaging.
This season the trend is that the Whites’ players run less than the opposition, some 7.4 kilometers on average. The reigning Champions League champions only ran more than one other team in the Champions League and that was against Atalanta: 115.6 to 114.9.
This is no time to look for scapegoats, but a change of attitude is necessary if a comeback is to be achieved. The bus rides along the Paseo de la Castellana seem a long way off and the main reason is that Real Madrid is no longer a competitive team, in fact, it is no longer a team at all.