Real Madrid won three Champions Leagues in a row between 2015-16 and 2017-18 but were
put out in the Round of 16 last season by eventual semi-finalists Ajax. Coach Santiago
Solari departed and Zinedine Zidane returned to try to guide Los Blancos back to another
European title, aided by significant summer spending that saw the arrivals of Eden Hazard,
Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy, and Brazilian prospects Eder Militao and Rodrygo. The average age
of all Real Madrid’s summer arrivals is just 22.4 years old, including the Japanese
18 year old Takefusa Kubo, showing an awareness perhaps that now is the time for a rebuild.
As these stats from OneFootball show, though, it’s some Real old hands who have so far
been important for Zidane’s side in La Liga, with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema weighing
in with goals for the Madrid side.
Zidane’s often been criticised for a lack of tactical nous, relying on his man management
skills and some in-game adjustments to get the best from his expensively assembled squad.
So far this season, Zidane has used a 4-4-2 and forms of a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1, whereby one
midfielder sits and two wide players push up; the degree of attacking intent determines
how one might view the formation.
While Bale and Benzema have performed reasonably well this season, Zidane has yet to work out
his best team and his best set-up; the injury to Eden Hazard has not helped, but Zidane’s
selections and approach do suggest someone still getting to grips with how his squad
should play. Madrid’s squad is large but unbalanced – in midfield, for example, there’s
James Rodriguez, Modric, Kroos, Isco, Asensio, and Valverde, but only Casemiro is a genuine
defensive midfielder – too many attacking players, not enough defensive cover. Real,
for all their individual quality, have significant issues.
The first is their defensive positioning, and the attacking intent of the full backs.
Zidane likes his teams to push high and look for crossing opportunities from overlaps.
While Ferland Mendy looked good against Villareal, the aggressive nature of Real’s full backs
leaves significant gaps in behind, requiring Casemiro or one of the centre-backs to cover
over in the event of a loss of possession – this in turn leaves gaps elsewhere.
In addition, while Real sought to solve this by, at times, leaving one full back deeper
to make a sort of three man defence, this meant that either the wide player of the 4-4-2
was left very isolated, or Real’s midfield was stretched and insufficiently compact.
A lot of teams play with high full backs who attack or engage in pressing, but Real seem
to find it strangely difficult to get right in the defensive phase and this means they
can be exposed by direct balls in to the wide channels.
In addition to this, Real are encouraged to play a high line generally, and to press quick
assertively especially in the opponent’s half. However, this can look disjointed and
it’s noticeable that, against Villareal for example, large gaps appeared in central
midfield as Real players pressed high but without support; Casemiro, as the lone defensive
midfielder in a two man midfield struggled as his teammates failed to defend sensibly,
and Real left easy passing lanes open to the opposition.
This was partly because Real’s two wide midfielders in the 4-4-2 offered little defensive
cover, and the 4-3-3 should deliver more solidity as Real can fall back into a 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1;
however, the natural instinct of the full backs to press high either means that Real
bunch players up out wide, or the wide midfielders also push high – both still leave gaps in
behind. Zidane needs to find his team’s balance between defence and attack in the
wide areas – so far he’s struggled.
Attacking, on the other hand, shouldn’t be an problem for Real – they have a surfeit
of talent going forwards and creative passers like Kroos and Modric to service them. However,
there are some issues here too.
Benzema, whose natural instinct is to drop off, link play, and facilitate the inside
forwards pushing ahead of him in a 4-3-3, should work well with Jovic as a pair of strikers
in a 4-4-2. But against Villareal, Jovic often dropped off too, partly because the wide players
pushed high and, with Casemiro dropping deeper, that isolated Kroos and left him with few
options.
Because Real also like to cross, even with Benzema as a sole striker, too often there
are insufficient numbers getting forwards to meet the crosses. The wide players tend
to stay wide – partly because Real also like to overload a flank and keep the other
man wide for a switch into space – and partly because, especially with a two man midfield
of Kroos and Casemiro, neither player is likely to surge forwards. Real look best when players
like Bale and Vinicius are running in behind onto through balls, but too often, this is
not what’s happening.
Real Madrid have issues. There’s a huge amount of individual quality in the squad
which is often enough to get them out of a hole in La Liga, but against top European
opposition, the lack of a plan that plays to their strengths and defensive weaknesses
in positioning and pressing will be problematic. Zidane has a tactical struggle on his hands
to get things right.