9 months ago
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Something unusual has happened with Jude Bellingham over the last few games… he’s not scored from open play since December.
The 20-year-old kept his goal tally rolling with a penalty, and an assist, in the 3-2 win over Almeria on January 21.
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But you have to go back to December 17 for the last time the England superstar found the net from open play - given how much we’ve been used to seeing him score, it’s something of a drought.
Before that run started, Bellingham smashed in 18 goals in 20 games and broken countless records along the way to cement his place as one of the best players currently in world football.
His 14 in his first 15 games broke a record set by Cristiano Ronaldo for most at the start of their career at Madrid.
Bellingham’s goalscoring has caught everyone by surprise, even manager Carlo Ancelotti.
"What is surprising about Bellingham is that he is only 20. It feels like he's 30," said Ancelotti. "For his character, his personality. He is always focused on the match, he knows what he needs to do, and this is rare in a 20-year-old player.
"Then you have all his quality, his physical strength, his skills. It is surprising, we are all a bit surprised."
Bellingham was certainly showing value for money after his £88.5million move from Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish capital in the summer.
He is so good that he could probably play anywhere on the pitch and his goalscoring prowess developed after being played higher up the pitch than before.
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Bellingham himself said: "The credit goes to Ancelotti who found the right position for me and gave me more freedom on the pitch. So now I'm flying."
So why has that dropped off in recent weeks?
Well, it was probably something that was inevitable given he was on course for more than 40+ goals this season, which is something that even top, top strikers struggle to reach.
His teammates have also been chipping in with more goals as well, with Rodrygo and Joselu now in double figures [10] and Vinicius Jr not far behind with eight.
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Over those last eight games where he has not scored from open play, Real Madrid have lost just one - that was in the Copa del Rey to Atletico Madrid - winning six and drawing one.
Among those games too they have played Almeira, Mallorca, Getafe and Alaves - all of whom are in the bottom half of the table. Suggesting that Bellingham maybe does not get as much space.
He’s not been getting as many chances in the most recent eight games either, managing just 2.8 shots per game, compared to 3.6 in his previous 20 matches.
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Either this is just a blip or his goalscoring run at the start of the season was truly other worldly.
Real play title challengers Girona on Saturday and a goal from open play would be most welcome.
