Data reveals an alarming shortcoming of Real Madrid this season

Real Madrid's start of the season has not been awful. They have won eight games and lost twice, with three draws. But it is not enough for the current LaLiga and Champions League winner, especially with the promise of Kylian Mbappé, one of the world's best players, who is not adjusting well to the team.

Nine points behind FC Barcelona (and one game played less) and half of the Champions League phase yet to play, it is not too late to turn things around, but Carlo Ancelotti and his staff need to find solutions quickly. And some data from Hudl DaaS shows one clear defect this season: they are not running enough.

As seen by El País, Real Madrid's players are running less distance this season: they run on average 101.2 kilometres each game, 3.5% less than last year.

In general, they usually run less than their rivals. Real Madrid usually wins by a short margin, but when they faced a team with a clear physical superiority like FC Barcelona, the result was catastrophic.

From the 36 teams currently fighting in the Champions League, Real Madrid is the third team who runs the least: 108.7 km per match, 6% less than the average. It's striking data that reveals a lack of intensity, but also draws other conclusions: nobody has been able to replace Toni Kroos yet, who ran 10.1 km per game on average.

Mbappé runs 8.3 km, the least of any player in Real Madrid's squad. Obviously, different positions demand different things, but it is also striking that, of all of Real Madrid's squad, Jude Bellingham is the one who runs much less distance.