Page 49 - Soccer360 Issue 106

moments, and win their games against Girona and Barcelona. It’s an old and cliched line about Real Madrid in La Liga but time and again they prove it to be correct in the domestic calendar. Girona did not manage to score against them across either league meeting, and the irrepressible Bellingham proved to be the difference maker up against Barcelona.
The goal gap between Real Madrid and Girona may look like an anomaly, but it illustrates the difference in class that still exists between the two clubs, and manager Michel Sanchez was honest in his view of how far Girona still have to go on their journey.
Xavi was mocked in some quarters for his assessment of Barcelona’s two El Clasico losses, but Bellingham’s double impact shows just how elite he is compared to his counterparts in Catalonia. Barcelona were level going into added time in both games, where two draws instead of two losses could have changed the title race dynamic and forced Real Madrid to recalibrate. However, Bellingham was working off his own script in both clashes, and one that shows just how quickly he is imbedded into the winning culture in place at Real Madrid.
Settling is simply not in Real Madrid playbook, and Bellingham scored twice after the 90-minute mark, in the biggest games
of the league season to keep his hand on
the Los Blancos clutch. Bellingham’s form
has been so impressive that neither goal came as too much of surprise, such was the ease with which he made stepping up at the switch moment look easy. Barcelona don’t having close to that in their arsenal with Real Madrid safe in the knowledge thar Vinicius and fellow Brazil star Rodrygo can also pop up when needed.
The main rule in any title race is to take points away from you opponent in direct showdowns, and as Real Madrid flexed, Barcelona and Girona were forced to settle for Champions League football next season, alongside perennial top four team Atletico Madrid. When you consider the impending arrival of Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid juggernaut has just found a new gear upgrade and should be formidable in their attempts to defend their crown in 2024-25. The debate will rage on over where Ancelotti will fit the France captain into his plans alongside Vinicius Jr, Bellingham and Rodrygo, but at Real Madrid, they always find a way. The core of Ancelotti’s squad does not lend itself to a new ‘Galactico’ era, but Mbappe’s uniqueness will give them
a major additional fear factor at the very
top level. As for Barcelona, Xavi’s budget
will be boosted if he can offload certain players with speculation over major signings ongoing without any real substance at this stage.
Down at the bottom of the table, the relegation picture offered up few surprises
SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024 47
COPA DEL REY KINGS
Feargal Brennan shines a light on Athletic Bilbao’s historic victory in the Copa Del Rey, ending a 40- year wait for the famous trophy.
Real Madrid have developed an infamously poor recent record in the Copa del Rey, with just one win in a decade, as Los Blancos continue to struggle to knit it into their La Liga and Champions League successes.
That has ensured the trophy has remained on the table for any side willing to invest in it with the required respect to navigate tricky knockout games as La Liga starts to intensify.
No one could accuse Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao team of easing into the final, as they certainly did things the hard way, disposing of Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals and then Barcelona in the last four.
They then stood firm and got their reward with a tight penalty shootout final win over Mallorca as they held their nerve as favourites.
Victory in the Copa del Rey may seem like side news for a Real Madrid or Barcelona, up against the ‘bigger’ trophies, but it ended a 40-year wait for Athletic Club.
The build up to the final was heavily focused on how they would celebrate back in Bilbao and stories of how it was marked back in 1984. The club were
keen to respect tradition and offered a reminder of how important trophies are to a fan base starved of major silverware for a generation.
Amid chaotic and brilliant scenes in
the city, the players celebrated with
their loyal fans, in an attempted mirror
of two decades before. The famous ‘Gabarra’ barge was relaunched, having being used in 1984, and this year’s crop of Copa del Rey winners set sail down the Nervion river to the wild acclaim of thousands of fans gathered in the streets for a party that lasted for days.
“GIRONA DID LOOK AS IF THEY COULD POSSIBLYPUSHREALMADRIDALL THE WAY AT THE START OF 2024”
ABOVE:
Girona looked capable of pulling off a stunning upset until their title challenge faded
RIGHT:
Athletic Bilbao won the Copa Del Rey for the first time in 40 years
FACTS
Since 2010/11 season Opta analyses expected goals, Barcelona
have scored fewer goals
than expected (excluding own goals) in only two LaLiga campaigns, precisely the last two: -8.03 in 22/23 and -5.02 in 23/24.