Why Real Madrid Can’t Defend Corners Well – Tactical Analysis

Real Madrid began the new season against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup with a 2-0 victory on a joyous night for their fans, marked by Kylian Mbappé scoring his first goal for Real Madrid.

That happiness did not last long, as Real Madrid drew in two of their first three league matches, thus dropping four points out of the initial nine available.

Los Blancos conceded their first goal in the new season, a Mallorca corner kick, which resulted in an equaliser.

We believe this goal serves as a wake-up call, signalling a persistent vulnerability that has carried over from the previous season.

Although this weakness is simple and apparent, it has only been exploited by a few teams.

Consequently, Carlo Ancelottis side was the second-lowest team in La Liga for goals conceded from corner kicks last season, having allowed only two goals, with only Barcelona conceding fewer, who allowed just one goal.

In this tactical analysis, we will discuss Real Madrids tactics in defending corners and its most significant weaknesses, showing how a few teams have attempted to exploit them.

We will also provide suggestions for addressing these issues and improving defensive performance.

Real Madrid Tactics  The Far Post Issue

Starting with their main defence scheme, they assign six zonal defenders.

Five are aligned to the goalmouth, while the sixth, usually Dani Carvajal, is responsible for getting the first touch in the area before the near post.

Above them, they put three blockers around the penalty spot whose job is just to block and slow down three of the opponents runners to reach the zonal line without a dynamic mismatch.

One of them is rarely assigned to mark a certain player in case of coming up against a strong player in aerial duels.

After that, they assign a player on the edge of the box to get the second ball and counterattack after that.

They usually ask the last zonal defender — Jude Bellingham, in this case — to stand deeper inside the six-yard line, as shown below.

In the photo below, it is clear that the zonal line gets a bit inclined to the outside while also asking Bellingham to stand a bit inside.

In the UEFA Champions Le