Jude Bellingham urged Real Madrid to “stick together” after the club’s goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos went from a six-game winning streak to dropping points in back-to-back matches ahead of the November international break. The Spanish giants suffered a 1–0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League and then only collected a point from their trip to Vallecas.
The two performances prompted waves of criticism for Xabi Alonso’s men, who have now gone the last 188 minutes without finding the back of the net. The Spanish boss even had to shut down talks of a crisis in his postgame press conference.
Bellingham then took to social media to deliver a statement to both his teammates and Madridistas across the globe following the disappointing draw.
“Always difficult in Vallecas but we take the point and move forward,” the midfielder wrote on Instagram.
“We have to stick together and prepare for another tough spell of games coming after the break.”
As always, Bellingham ended the post with "Hala Madrid.”
The England international was a bright spot for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano, along with Arda Güler. Bellingham created the most dangerous chance of the game for his side, while also misplacing just four passes in his 90 minutes on the pitch.
Still, his outing alone was not enough to send Los Blancos back home with the victory. Now, the Spanish giants are only three points clear of Barcelona, who secured a 4–2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday evening, atop the La Liga standings.
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Xabi Alonso
The pressure will be on Xabi Alonso to get Real Madrid back to winning ways. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Alonso’s men will get a brief reprieve from domestic duty over the next two weeks. Once the November international window comes to a close, though, Real Madrid are in for a challenging string of matches, as Bellingham mentioned.
Opponent Date Competition
Elche (A) Sunday, Nov. 23 La Liga
Olympiacos (A) Wednesday, Nov. 26 Champions League
Girona (A) Sunday, Nov. 30 La Liga
Athletic Bilbao (A) Wednesday, Dec. 3 La Liga
Celta Vigo (H) Sunday, Dec. 7 La Liga
Manchester City (H) Wednesday, Dec. 10 Champions League
Los Blancos will play their next four matches across all competitions away from home. Although they will be the favorites against Elche, Olympiacos and Girona, Real Madrid struggle away from the Santiago Bernabéu and have proven to be unsteady in hostile environments so far this season.
The biggest tests, though, will come against Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo. Both teams are more than capable of snagging a result against Alonso’s men in their current form.
Even more daunting is a Champions League bout with Manchester City. The Cityzens and Los Blancos have traded blows over the last few years on Europe’s biggest stage, and Pep Guardiola’s side will be eager for revenge after its early exit at the hands of Real Madrid last season.
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