The England midfielder has been superb so far this season, but he can't be expected to carry Los Blancos on his own for the whole of the campaign
It would be nice to believe that Jude Bellingham can do it all, every week. It would be pretty cool to think that his signature celebration — arms spread, chin raised, a slight smirk — will happen up every few days. After all, this is a 20-year-old waltzing into the highest-pressure club in the world, and making everything look very easy.
But the reality is that Bellingham will slow down. There will, at some point, be games where he doesn't score or assist. He might even — and this is a terrifying concept to grasp for Madrid fans — have a poor showing, or fall victim to the tactical smarts of an opposing manager.
So if Bellingham falters, then who else can pick up the slack? The luxury for Real Madrid for many years now has been their wealth of attacking talent. Cristiano Ronaldo could afford to have a bad day because Gareth Bale was in the team. Karim Benzema could miss a few games, and Vinicius Jr would pick up the slack. Ronaldo Nazario could struggle and still have Raul for back-up.
But so far this season, those secondary performers are yet to appear. The loss of goalscoring production with the departure of Benzema to the Saudi Pro League has been made up for by Bellingham's brilliance. If he fails, though, it is down to a cast of others to chip in. So far, those expected to fill in haven't delivered. Notably, the Brazilian duo of Vinicius and Rodrygo have combined for just four goals in all competitions so far — and haven't exactly been electric on international duty, either.
This isn't cause for immense concern — not yet, at least. Still, Los Blancos could do with getting their Brazilian duo firing, as Bellingham can't do everything alone.
Getty Images Bellingham's breath-taking form
Articulating Bellingham's impact so far this season is immensely difficult. Here is a midfielder by trade being deployed as a false nine behind split strikers, who also tracks back and can operate on the left of a 4-4-2 when his team defends, and who also creates chances for others at an impressive rate.
Bellingham has 10 goals in 10 games for Los Blancos, and has added three assists for good measure. He is scoring, statistically, at the same rate as Cristiano Ronaldo did when he first joined the club in 2009. He accounts for 43 percent of Madrid's goals so far this season, and has had a hand in over half of them.
The more technical stuff is even more impressive. Bellingham ranks in the 96th percentile or above in goals per 90 minutes for both midfielders and strikers, per . He is in the 88th or above for both groups in successful take-ons. He is above average among all midfielders in tackles, interceptions, blocks and aerial duels won.Pit Bellingham, a positionless entity, against top players at every spot in Europe, and his numbers match up. These are the numbers of a genuine superstar, a player who, if the season started nine months ago, would likely see his name crop up in Ballon d'Or discussions.
Despite his insane talent, such levels surely can't be sustained, can they? If they can't, Madrid need Vinicius and Rodrygo to offer support. Joselu has already added some goals — with five in all competitions— but the South American duo are supposed to be the main men of Madrid's supporting cast.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Rodrygo problem
In the second half of Brazil's World Cup qualifying clash with Venezuela on Thursday, Rodrygo had a golden chance to put the game to bed. The Selecao were leading 1-0, and in search of a decisive second. The Madrid forward got almost everything right, as he cut around a defender and created space for a shot. But at the key moment, the split second where the ball should have been sent into the far corner, he hesitated. Instead, he put his effort into the side-netting. Venezuela would eventually bag a last-minute equaliser.
It was a moment emblematic of Rodrygo's struggles so far this season. After scoring in the campaign's opener against Athletic Club, the Brazilian is yet to find the net while cutting an uncomfortable figure. Of his 30 shots this season, only seven have been on target. He has missed a penalty against Celta Vigo and squandered big chances against Getafe, Union Berlin and Las Palmas.
In between times, Rodrygo looks a player uncertain of which spaces to occupy. Naturally a No.10, he has spent most of his Madrid career stuck on the right wing, with a license to cut inside and cause problems with his dribbling ability and eye for a killer pass.
It was largely assumed that with the departure of Benzema, Rodrygo would take over as Madrid's No.9 until a new striker or extra central attacking player arrived. Instead, to cater for Bellingham's rise, Rodrygo has been asked to play as part of a front two, starting in the half spaces he would otherwise prefer to move into, and being forced to find gaps in compact defences.
It's an awkward fit. Rodrygo is a player who needs to have the game in front of him, and thrives when asked to think a number of steps ahead. Instinct, he has shown, is not his forte. He admitted as such in an interview last week, saying: "It's always important to be able to play in different roles. I've always made it clear that I have a knack for playing on the wings, I just don't like playing as a number nine, although at my club I have to."
There has also been some bad luck. Rodrygo, at times, has fallen victim to big saves, or timely blocks. Joselu also snatched a penalty away from him that could have perhaps given the Brazilian a much-needed confidence boost. But if Bellingham's position is a tactical masterstroke, Rodrygo's form is its major casualty.
GettyVinicius' magic being tamed
Vinicius, for his part, presents a different problem. The winger suffered a hamstring injury in late August that left him sidelined for a month, and he still hasn't properly recovered. Although he has appeared in three games since returning, he is not yet the same player that dominated the Spanish top flight last year.
The Brazilian's slight change of position was always going to be cause for debate this season. Like Rodrygo, Vinicius has been asked to tuck inside, functioning as an inside forward-turned striker, a slight difference from the position that saw him become a world-class performer over the last two campaigns.
Vinicius, like Rodrygo, now receives the ball in different spaces, and functions awkwardly as a result. Whereas before he had Benzema as a central target and the left-back as an underlapping option, the Brazilian now has to connect with Bellingham who gravitates deeper, and a full-back moving around his outside. The result is a slightly more cramped area, one that prevents him from running full speed at defenders — a situation in which he is undoubtedly at his most dangerous.
Vinicius can still operate in those situations. Indeed, this is too good of a footballer to be entirely muted by his own manager's tactics. He can still do those magical things: the drops of shoulders, stepovers, and pirouettes around opponents. But they seem to happen less often now, and there are more defenders around him when he tries to work his magic.
The result is Vinicius rushing things, not quite comfortable in the areas he is supposed to work in. There is still definitely a learning curve here. Vinicius, after all, is still just 23. But his education will need to speed up — as will his match fitness.
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Getty ImagesWhat do the duo need to produce?
Perhaps the benefit for both players is that they don't need to explode — not immediately, at least. Vinicius had his most prolific season as a professional last campaign, tallying 44 goal contributions in all competitions for club and country. Rodrygo is not at the same level as his compatriot, but still provided 30 goal contributions, all while playing 1,000 fewer minutes.
That they are both capable of such form — and arguably more — is reassuring. But with Bellingham playing the way he is, this is more about both players making steady contributions. Madrid could do with 10 goals and assists from both — hardly an easy feat, but comfortably attainable for players of their track record.
And even if they don't provide at that rate, it is perhaps the calibre of performance that can be raised. Rodrygo could be more fluid in the final third, and pick the right moments to attack. Vinicius could move the ball quicker, or make the kind of decoy dummy runs that Benzema was so good at.