Rafa Benitez isn’t boring – he’s actually doing better than Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid

On the face of it, Real Madrid’s decision to sack Carlo Ancelotti and appoint Rafa Benitez was a bemusing one. The Italian boss landed the club’s 10th European title and took them to within two points of their 33rd La Liga title in his final year at the helm, scoring more goals (118) than any other side and the most in a single league season since the 2011/12 campaign, a record set by Madrid (121). However, a failure to land any silverware effectively cost Ancelotti his job at the Bernabeu.

Benitez’s appointment, though, was viewed as a sideways step - if that - from the outside looking in, with the Spaniard a more conservative option from Florentino Perez. With entertainment a must in the capital, the decision to bring Benitez to Madrid certainly saw eyebrows raised among the Blancos faithful, and not to commemorate their departing manager. Coming into Saturday’s Clasico, though, Madrid have the best WhoScored.com rating (7.29) in Spain’s top tier this term and are just three points off top spot, with rivals Barcelona sitting pretty atop of La Liga.

An improved defensive resolve has helped Madrid start the campaign relatively brightly. Only Atletico Madrid (six) have conceded fewer goals in La Liga this season than Madrid (seven), while the 26 goals netted is also more than any other side in Spain’s top tier thus far. However, while the club had conceded more goals (11) at this stage last season, Ancelotti’s Madrid had also scored significantly more (42) than Benitez’s after 11 league games.

An increase in defensive solidity can decrease the entertainment value of any side, with a team supposedly less willing to take risks in order to avoid conceding. A prime example comes in the Premier League: Manchester United may hold the joint-best defensive record in England’s top tier, but their stagnant style of play has drawn the critics. For Madrid, though, that simply isn’t the case. While Los Blancos may have scored fewer goals at this stage of the season than last, they are in fact averaging more shots per game under Benitez (20.4) than they were under Ancelotti (18.1).

The team are looking to take more risks in the final third as well, with Madrid this term averaging more key passes per game (16.3) than they were after 11 games last season (15), this coming despite their numerous injury concerns, particularly with key creator James Rodriguez sidelined with a thigh problem until recently. Furthermore, the number of successful dribbles per game has also risen - albeit marginally - from 10.6 to 11.4.

Benitez may be famed for his more reserved approach to management, but this is perhaps what Madrid required in the wake of Ancelotti’s dismissal. It is having a positive effect on the club’s Champions League campaign, with Madrid currently the only side yet to concede a goal in Europe’s elite competition. More tackles (18.5 to 17.7) and interceptions (18.4 to 12.5) further reinforce the defensive improvements made to the side by Benitez, with Madrid now a more organised team than they were last term.

Of course, the conversion rate has dropped substantially from 21.1% to 11.6%, though little of the blame can be directed the way of the manager in that regard. Indeed, Cristiano Ronaldo’s underwhelming displays so far this season by his standards have had a drastic effect. The Portugal international has had 34.8% of Madrid’s 224 league shots so far yet has just eight goals to his name compared to the monumental 18 he had managed after 11 matches last time around. To say Benitez’s approach has been more boring than Ancelotti’s is to gloss over a number of key factors and figures. Rather, instead of structured chaos, particularly in the defensive third, Madrid are arguably playing more as a unit than a team of individuals.

Indeed, this will be put to the test in Saturday’s Clasico, with there having been no clean sheets in the last 18 matches between Madrid and Barcelona. However, given the adjustments Benitez has made and Madrid’s fine home form this season – Los Blancos have shipped just one league goal in five games at the Bernabeu – the hosts have every right to be confident of victory when they welcome the Blaugrana to the capital once more.