Where Real Madrid Rank in Liga Team Statistics and What They Mean Under Zidane

Real Madrid sit second in La Liga as domestic clubs take a week or two off for the international break, following a three-match run of draws which have seen rivals Atletico Madrid overtake them in top spot.

Zinedine Zidane's team have hit something of a wall in recent weeks after starting the season in good form, though they remain unbeaten and well-positioned to continue their title charge after the international break if they can get their frontmen firing and one or two key players back to full fitness.

While it's obvious that the points tally is the most important set of numbers in any league season, the underlying statistics of the Real Madrid side can indicate how well the side is doing overall, particularly when compared to the rest of the league.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats are from WhoScored (WS) or Squawka (SQ).

On the ball

Starting with the obvious, Real Madrid are not what most onlookers would label a possession-based side, yet they do have an extraordinary amount of the ball in most matches. Whereas some teams, such as Barcelona, Celta Vigo or now Sevilla, place a huge emphasis on ball retention in their overall approach, Real Madrid see a lot of the ball simply because they have better players than most teams they face, and opposition defences will often sit back to frustrate.

That's reflected in Madrid's possession on the road, where the home side would be expected to attack somewhat more: they average 55 per cent per game this term, the third-highest in La Liga, but 52 per cent away from home which is only fifth-highest. Barcelona and Sevilla rank as the top two both at home and on the road (WS).

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Real do, however, have a better overall pass success rate than anyone else in La Liga, coming out on top with 87 per cent of passes finding their mark to date. Nobody in the league can match Toni Kroos on an individual level either, with a 93 per cent completion rate (WS). Half of the top 10 in that ranking play for Los Blancos, with Isco, Mateo Kovacic, Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez being the others.

While there is no heavy reliance on continual passing in Real Madrid's approach under Zidane, they do tend to move the ball quickly from back to front to try to open up teams with a first wave of attack. If that doesn't create a chance, circulation outside the box is typically their next step, one which they have struggled to make use of in recent matches without Luka Modric in the team.

The graph below shows the top eight sides in La Liga by total number of dribbles (blue bar) for this season, and their respective completion rate (red line).

Stats via Squawka, graph @karlmatchett

The low count of dribbles also hints at the team's more direct approach—which is not to say a long-ball style, rather that the idea is to move the ball forward quickly into the final third. Indeed, Real Madrid have the joint-lowest long passes per game (WS), along with Atletico Madrid, and their average pass length is just 18 metres (SQ).

Defensive work

Considering the majority of their players are offensive-minded talents, the team has a lot of the ball each game and teams don't attack them relentlessly most weeks, there's an expectation that Real Madrid don't defend as often as other sides, because they don't need to. That's true of most top sides in Europe, including those in La Liga.

As a result, the numbers of defensive actions made by Los Blancos are low as expected.

Sevilla, Barcelona and Madrid make up the bottom three for both clearances and interceptions this season (SQ), though Zidane's side are much further up the list in tackles per game (WS).

Stats via Whoscored, graph @karlmatchett

Again, it's a product of their approach; while not being an outrageously high-pressing team, Real's individuals do tend to be on the front foot, aggressive at winning back possession individually rather than relying on a defensive structure to see off attacking plays from the opposition, in the manner of Atletico Madrid, for example.

One area of concern for Zidane this term has to be how his team have defended in wide areas. Often Madrid will be caught out by opponents getting in behind the full-backs who have pushed up or missed an interception, while crosses into the box are not dealt with by the centre-backs. Partly that can be a result of the rotation—Keylor Navas was injured, and Raphael Varane and Pepe have swapped game time—but it's also down to individual failings.

Power Sport Images/Getty Images

So far this season, three of the six goals conceded from inside the penalty area have been from headers.

On a final disappointing note, Real Madrid have the most yellow cards for diving in La Liga, currently standing at two with the latest handed to Alvaro Morata at the weekend.

In attack

Real Madrid are all about the final third. That's where the magic has to happen for them to win titles.

Zidane's side often structure their build-up play in the channels as they attempt to get Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale involved early, with Modric or Kroos playing in those areas too, rather than just centrally. Their left-centre-right percentage split for where they attack in matches is 40-26-34 (WS), with central attacks falling even lower, to 24 per cent, away from the Santiago Bernabeu—that's joint-10th place compared to the rest of La Liga. Away from home, only the likes of Barcelona and Villarreal approach a third of play through the centre.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

Crossing from wide areas is a big part of the game for this team, despite its relative ineffectiveness.

A whopping 26 crosses per game from Zidane's men places them second in La Liga for that approach, behind only Real Sociedad. For comparison, Atletico attempt 21 crosses per game, Sevilla 20, Barcelona 17 and Villarreal just 10 (WS).

Is Zidane right to instruct his team to cross so relentlessly? It's easy to point to Ronaldo and Bale being exceptional in the air and say yes, but it's still a waste of possession more often than not. After all, those players are effective on the ground, too.

Consider this statistic: Madrid have netted three goals off of 182 crosses this season, or one per 61 crosses, or one per two-and-a-half games' worth of crossing.

@karlmatchett

Of course it is a method to utilise at the right time, but perhaps in this instance Real are better off attempting more build-up play. On average, Real Madrid's crossing is inaccurate 19.7 times per game—the third-highest in La Liga (WS).

That the teams directly above and below them are Real Sociedad, Malaga, Deportivo and Eibar says a lot about the type of teams that tend to cross the ball so much.

Real Madrid can, however, take solace that their recent run of draws—four in a row in all competitions—is incredibly unlikely to stretch on, simply because of the amount of shots per game they tend to take. In other words, buying more tickets gives you a better chance of winning the raffle, and Madrid buy in bulk.

In shooting statistics, they are top of everything: shots per game, shots on target (WS), shots from both inside and outside the penalty area (SQ) and they even have two of the top three individual shot-takers this season. Ronaldo (five per game) and Bale (four per game) alone guarantee Real nine shots a match, which is more than three teams in La Liga average (WS).

Particularly impressive is Real Madrid's average of over 19 shots per game away from the Bernabeu. No other side have more than 13 in Spain and no other side in Europe's top five leagues can match those numbers either.

Real Madrid don't simply shoot from terrible angles or positions, nor do they hammer the ball in relentlessly from outside the box. A third of their attempts are from beyond the 18-yard line, a similar number to Barcelona's 31 per cent. Sevilla average 25 per cent, while Atletico average 40 per cent. A look at Madrid's last match, a 1-1 draw with Eibar, shows the team are getting into good positions to take attempts at goal from.

FourFourTwo StatsZone

At present, the unfortunate truth is that individual players are off-form and lacking sharpness in front of goal.

It's extremely likely to continue that way over the longer term though, particularly with regards to Ronaldo. Once the dam breaks, expect the usual flood, with the frustrating draws plaguing Zidane at present reverting to victories.

The balance of the team remains reasonably good despite a misfiring front line, though Modric's absence is crucial. A more resolute defence and clinical edge in attack are both required to win La Liga in any season, and there is a lot of room for improvement in the latter over the coming weeks.