Joselu: Jude Bellingham misses having a true number 9 at Real Madrid

Speaking about Madrid's current setup, Joselu pointed to the absence of a traditional centre-forward as a key factor behind Bellingham's reduced influence in front of goal.

Without a conventional No. 9 occupying opposition centre-backs in the penalty area, space has become harder to find for midfield runners, including Bellingham, who thrived last season by arriving late into the box.

Real Madrid have increasingly relied on Kylian Mbappe to shoulder the bulk of the goalscoring burden, with the French forward's output becoming critical to the team's overall success.

However, Joselu argued that while Mbappe remains prolific, he is not a classic penalty-box poacher whose movement consistently pins defenders deep.

The veteran forward also reflected on the club's failure to adequately replace Karim Benzema following his departure, noting that Madrid have lacked a natural focal point in attack ever since.

According to Joselu, this has altered the dynamics of the team's offensive play and placed additional pressure on players like Bellingham to contribute goals from deeper positions.

"The typical striker is lost nowadays? Yes, and they're important. For a while, the false nine was the hype, and I was against that type of player," said Joselu, in an interview with AS.

"For me, it's important to have a player like that who can unlock games, who can pin back the centre-backs.

"I remember how many goals Bellingham scored at Real Madrid because I would pin back the centre-backs for him. We talked about it a lot; he made good use of those spaces.

"Now, he misses having a player like that." 

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