Damning statistic that raises concerns at Real Madrid amid dip in form | OneFootball

Real Madrid head into the international break with more doubts than confidence after a worrying dip in form over their last two matches.

Following their El Clasico win, the team has suffered a defeat against Liverpool, which was followed by a draw against Rayo Vallecano.

Are Real Madrid running less than their opponents?

As reported by SPORT, there is a shocking statistic that highlights why Real Madrid have struggled in the past few matches: Real Madrid ran 13 kilometers less than their opponents across these two fixtures.

This is a major physical crisis for Xabi Alonso’s men, who are clearly not working hard enough to outrun their opponents.

In the Champions League loss at Anfield, the players ran five kilometers less than the English side. Just five days later, Real Madrid repeated this worrying trend in Vallecas, covering eight kilometers less than Rayo Vallecano.

Xabi must find a way to get his players to work harder on the pitch. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

This difference effectively means that each Real Madrid player ran approximately one kilometer less than their direct opponent in their last two matches, raising significant questions about the team’s preparation and collective dynamism.

This statistic is even more damning considering the fact that Real Madrid benefited from a massive rest advantage against Rayo.

They enjoyed 99 hours of rest following their Tuesday fixture against Liverpool, while Rayo Vallecano had only 65 hours of recovery time after playing their Conference League match on Thursday night.

Despite having significantly more time to recover, Alonso’s side was still completely outrun by a Rayo Vallecano team that had a heavy schedule, which is indicative of a greater, bigger issue at play here.