Madrid’s derby defeat has placed Real Madrid’s running figures under an unforgiving light. After the 2-1 loss to Atlético de Madrid in the seventh round of LaLiga, José Mourinho’s side sit at the bottom of the division for average distance covered per match.
Real Madrid have averaged 104.3 kilometres across their first seven league fixtures, the lowest total among the 20 clubs. The figure alone does not settle the question of work rate, however; the sharper concern lies in how often the team reaches sustained high-intensity running.
Quick facts
- Real Madrid average 104.3km per LaLiga match, last among 20 teams.
- They cover 4,975.5 metres at 19.8-25.2 km/h per game, also the league’s lowest figure.
- Real record 338.5 high-intensity actions per match, again bottom of the table.
- Above 25.2 km/h, they run 2,248 metres per game, ranking 11th.
- League-leading Barcelona average 108.6km overall and lead LaLiga for sprint actions.
In the 19.8 to 25.2 km/h bracket, defined as high-intensity running, Madrid’s average is 4,975.5 metres per game. No other LaLiga side produces fewer metres in that range.
The same pattern appears in the frequency of those efforts. Madrid make 338.5 actions per match at high-intensity pace, another division-low return. The numbers point less to an inability to reach speed than to a lower volume of repeated hard running over 90 minutes.
There is a different picture once the threshold moves into sprinting territory, above 25.2 km/h. Madrid average 2,248 metres in sprints per match, which places them 11th in the standings and close to the league-wide norm.
Barcelona offer a contrasting pace
Barcelona, LaLiga’s leaders, are not among the competition’s biggest overall distance runners either. The Catalan side average 108.6km per game, only 4.3km more than Madrid and the 16th-highest total in the league.
The gap opens when matches accelerate. Barcelona cover 5,858.8 metres per outing at high intensity, almost 900 metres beyond Madrid’s mark, and rank sixth in that category.
They also produce 413.4 actions per game in the same speed band, enough for third place across LaLiga. In outright sprint actions, Barcelona lead the competition with an average of 132.4 per match.
