On January 13th, Real Madrid suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, missing out on the chance to defend their title. This season, Real Madrid has already lost six games, including a 0-4 defeat against Barcelona in La Liga and another significant loss in this match. Rafinha scored twice and provided an assist, Lewandowski contributed with a goal and an assist, while Gavi and Balde also found the net for Barcelona. Real Madrid managed to score through Mbappe and Rodrygo. If not for Szczesny's red card in the 56th minute, Real Madrid might have faced an even greater defeat. The match highlighted the shortcomings of the 180 million euro star, who occupies the number 10 position but fails to organize the offense and wastes Mbappe's brilliant passes.
Just past the halfway point of the season, Real Madrid has already lost six games, including being defeated twice by Barcelona, as well as losses to Lille, Milan, Liverpool, and Athletic Bilbao. Last season, Real Madrid only suffered two defeats, both against Atletico Madrid, indicating a decline in performance this season. With Real Madrid's failure to win the Spanish Super Cup final, the strengths and weaknesses of player Jude Bellingham have become evident. Many fans compare Bellingham to Zinedine Zidane, but in reality, their playing styles are quite different.
During the match against Barcelona, Bellingham received a rating of only 6.6, the lowest among the four attacking players in Real Madrid's lineup, scoring lower than Mbappe and the Brazilian duo. Mbappe was the most threatening player for Real Madrid, having delivered a brilliant backheel pass to Bellingham, which Bellingham mishit under pressure from Kounde. Bellingham also showed frustration during the game, making unnecessary actions and shoving Kounde in anger, losing both the game and his composure.
Considering Bellingham's characteristics, he is physically strong, capable of heading the ball, and has a strong desire to attack and win. He is aggressive in tackles and has good awareness for making runs into the box. However, Bellingham's technical skills are somewhat rough, with average ball control and a lack of organizational ability. As the attacking midfielder in Real Madrid's 4-2-3-1 formation, Bellingham struggles to orchestrate the offense effectively. Compared to Barcelona's agile midfielders like Pedri, Casado, and Olmo, Bellingham's organizational capabilities seem quite limited.
It can be said that Bellingham plays in the number 10 position for Real Madrid but performs the work of a center-forward, often making runs into the box to take shots rather than linking up the team's offense. Real Madrid's young midfield generation lacks creativity, with players like Valverde and Camavinga functioning more as workhorse midfielders, while Bellingham operates as a forward-thinking, combative attacking midfielder.
Valued at 180 million euros, Bellingham is a product of Ancelotti's system, neither a pure midfielder nor a forward, but someone who thrives within Real Madrid's powerful setup, accumulating impressive statistics. Bellingham's playing style is nothing like Zidane's; he is more akin to a muscular version of Thomas Muller, with a temper similar to Zidane's, known for being fiery.