The wall returns – AS.com

If last year there were 16 clean sheets in the League, until the eighth it has not been the charm in the current one. After seven days, in Getafe, in a tricky visit in recent seasons, Madrid managed to lock to his goal. And it was a defender who also led the way to three points. A Militao imperial, who together with the imposing physical presence of Rüdiger and Tchouameni, inhibited the azulón team. Neither Ünal nor Mayoral shone and it had to be Aleñá, from a distance, the only one who made Lunin shine as he managed, also in the eighth, his first clean sheet as a Madrid goalkeeper.

It was not a trivial matter to stop ‘bleeding’. For something Ancelotti made special emphasis between the mixed zone and the press room of the Coliseum. “The clean sheet is very important. Last year’s success was due to a very good defensive aspect. Tonight we defended well in a different match, with a lot of aerial ball”, the Italian coach congratulated himself. It hadn’t been a major problem so far, since all the matches except the draw (1-1) against Osasuna are counted as victories, but it was essential to ward off that ghost.

The key to bury the curse, that Militao-Rüdiger-Tchouameni triangle that imposed his physical exuberance practically during the 90 minutes and left the locals in just two shots between the three sticks throughout the match. The German played a serious match, without excesses or errors, one of those that cost trouble and it is crucial to avoid against teams like Quique’s. Militao himself knows it well, who removed the thorn from the last course: a rude mistake by Éder cost the whites the defeat (1-0). The Brazilian retaliated by far, was honorably raised with the match MVP trophy and, by the way, he premiered his scoring account of the season.

Live a sweet moment for Sertãozinho, who was also impressive against Shakhtar in the Champions League. In front of Ability rhe recovered seven balls, blocked two shots, won the two innings he attempted, won four aerial duels and finished the game with an 88.6% passing rate (62/70). In addition to giving away a powerful drive that raised the applause of a Modric who could not refrain from congratulating his partner.

Rüdiger’s numbers were already advanced, which were less bombastic, but he showed that with Alaba on the side, he has plenty of boards to get the ball played (he completed 81 of the 89 passes he attempted, 91%). Three recoveries, a successful tackle, a blocked shot, and a won aerial duel round out his stat sheet. While the other summer signing, Tchouameni, was also in charge of putting bandages on the field of play before the wounds even appeared. The one from Ruán went further and after some initial hesitation, he imposed his physical presence, brought calm when the ball came out and, of course, biased the balls, a recurring task. He regained possession seven times, was successful in the two innings he attempted and made 75 of 80 passes (91%), with an unblemished 16/16 in the opposition third. He not only destroyed, he also built efficiently.

From 42.1% to 12.5

Additionally, the triangle featured the aforementioned appearance of a Lunin who buried his own curse with clean sheets. Madrid was once again a seamless wall in the League (in the Champions League it did not fit against Celtic or against Leipzig), one of the keys to the 35th. Of the 38 games last year, in 16 there was no goal against. A 42.1% that collides with the current 12.5. Hence Carletto has given so much value to this achievement that it may be anecdotal in the short term, but it is a springboard to success in the long run. In a league championship where the fight with Barça seems fierce, making goals profitable and minimizing missteps multiplies its importance. With a zero in the goal, everything is easier.