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More clean sheets for Madrid could result in more silverware

| 16.09.2010

Real Madrid may have enjoyed their most prolific La Liga season ever in terms of points during the last campaign, but Jose Mourninho seems to have already uncovered the best tactics to help them win trophies both domestically and in Europe.

Madrid racked up 96 league points and won 31 of their 38 La Liga games last season, but still finished three points behind Barcelona under the stewardship of Manuel Pellegrini.

Meanwhile, lowly Alcorcon dumped them out of the Copa Del Rey and Lyon eliminated them from the Champions League at the last-16 stage.

If Mourinho knows how to do anything in football, it is how to win, having done the treble with Inter Milan last season and he is on track to become the first boss ever to win the Champions League with three different clubs.

He is 11/2 to win the Champions League with Real this season and 5/4 to claim just a fifth La Liga trophy since 1997.

Fast-flowing, passing football has been expected by Real fans in the past, but Mourinho seems determined to change this ethos and put defensive solidarity ahead of trying to fit too many flair players into a starting line-up.

Real only kept 18 clean sheets in 48 games last season and failed to keep the opposition out once in a nine-game sequence at an important stage of the campaign between mid-February and the end of March.

Mourinho has already taken steps to address this and is yet to concede a goal in his three games as boss.

His first La Liga game finished goalless, but Real then bounced back to win 1-0 against Osasuna.

A 2-0 win has since been gained against Ajax in the Champions League meaning that for the sequence to continue then a 3-0 can be expected in their next outing away at Real Sociedad.

Madrid are 2/5 to beat Sociedad and 7/1 to win 3-0. See the whole Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid match betting market.

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Author

Ed Needham