Despite still being on the field from the start in the match against Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, Jude Bellingham has not been able to score any goals since the beginning of the 2024-2025 season. The fact that the English star is no longer given much responsibility for scoring goals was predicted in advance due to the appearance of Kylian Mbappe.
The English midfielder is no longer the final destination for attacking situations, so the number of goals will certainly decrease compared to the same period (this time last year there were 10 goals). However, the current drop to zero is surprising.
At first glance, Bellingham's importance in the Real Madrid squad may have decreased, but the opposite has been proven on the field. Now, the 21-year-old star is assigned the role of connecting the squads together. In the last 4 matches in La Liga, Bellingham has traveled more, reaching the minimum mark of 10 km/match.
Along with Federico Valverde, Bellingham's box-to-box ability plays a particularly important role in keeping the midfield stable for 90 minutes. In particular, he will be the fulcrum for the trio of Vinicius - Mbappe - Rodrygo to dominate up front.
In the opening match of the season against Mallorca, Carlo Ancelotti used a 4-3-3 formation to keep all the attacking stars on the pitch. Vinicius and Mbappe were happy to constantly exchange positions with each other on the left wing, while Bellingham and Rodrygo were encouraged to switch positions on the opposite wing. The remaining Valverde will be promoted.
This style of play left danger when everyone rushed up, leaving behind Aurelien Tchouameni to guard the defense. Realizing that, Bellingham repeatedly withdrew to support his teammates. This run-off left the England star exhausted. A few days later on the training ground, he immediately suffered a muscle injury.
Real Madrid's theoretically strong attacking lineup left too many gaps in the middle of the field, putting direct pressure on the defense. For example, in the match against Stuttgart in the Champions League, Real Madrid had an expected goal loss without penalty of up to 1.9, the most at the Bernabeu in nearly 2 years. This number appeared in such an alarming way when Bellingham left the midfield position and joined his teammates in attack.
After that match, Ancelotti himself admitted to the Spanish media that he did not really know Bellingham's role on the pitch as a striker or midfielder. Since Toni Kroos retired, many people in the Real Madrid coaching staff want Bellingham to retreat deeper to play as an organizer like the German midfielder. This process will take a long time.
Ancelotti has changed, in the match against Alaves, Real Madrid still played in a 4-3-3 formation with both Bellingham and Valverde in midfield. The pair moved up and down the wings, leaving Tchouameni in the middle. When the French midfielder had the ball, Bellingham took his running time to break through behind the midfield line, before receiving a pass to return to Vinicius.
That situation left Bellingham offside, but just 20 minutes later, he coordinated with Mbappe in a similar way and assisted the French striker to score the fourth goal for Los Blancos.
The left space position, if Real play in a 4-4-2 formation, is where Ancelotti wants Bellingham to develop in the coming time. This way of playing can bring more peace of mind to the defense. Carletto will be forced to sacrifice a striker position to replace him with a midfielder and allow Bellingham to move inside with more confidence so that attackers can benefit from that.
Dani Carvajal's injury and possible absence for the rest of the season has forced Ancelotti to change his plan and push Bellingham to the right wing to support the defense. In the coming time, depending on the development of the force, the English midfielder may continue to be assigned to other positions. Ancelotti needs Bellingham's versatility at the moment to help Real Madrid's overall performance. As for the issue of scoring, Mbappe and Vinicius are forced to do well.
Bellingham is only 21 years old this year, there is still a lot of time to develop in the coming time. His frustration in recent matches can be easily explained by the reason of his youth, no longer exploding with goals like last season. Ancelotti's role in this matter is the most important, he must know how to harmonize his stars, thereby finding the best development direction for the team in this season with a lot of competition.
