This year’s Champions League final is a hotly anticpated contest.
Real Madrid are in pursuit of their third title in a row, and their 13th overall, a
hat-trick feat not managed so far in the Champions League era and only three times previously.
Once of these was, of course, by Real themselves, who won the first five European Cups, a hegemony
unchallenged since in European football history.
In their way stand Liverpool, fourth in the Premier League, and who have not reached this
stage since the so-called Miracle of Istanbul in 2004/05, when goals from Steven Gerrard,
Vladimir Smicer, and Xabi Alonso clawed back a 3-0 half-time deficit against AC Milan to
set up an enthralling win on penalties, with Jerzy Dudek distracting Serginho, and saving
from Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko to seal a win that wasn’t so much memorable
as totally improbable (after the first half, at any rate).
Jurgen Klopp has stated that Liverpool need to be “brave” to counter Real’s experience
on European football’s biggest stage; perhaps channelling some of Liverpool’s resolute
refusal to roll over that night in 2005 would help, too.
Liverpool will line up in their customary 4-3-3, while Real Madrid may deploy a diamond-shaped
4-3-1-2 or a 4-4-2, with Zinedine Zidane switching between the two at various points in the tournament.
It is perhaps that stage of proceedings when it is unlikely that either side will be able
to spring tactical surprises, especially so with these two teams.
Liverpool have a well-established methodology: press high, compress the midfield and attacking
spaces, create overloads out wide, and let the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto
Firmino, and Sadio Mane do their thing.
Their combination of guile, technical ability, and pace will be enough to give Zidane and
the Real back-line significant cause for concern – even if you know how a team is going to
play, that does not mean you can stop them.
Real Madrid’s propensity to surprise is also smaller but this is more down to their
enormous strength of individual ability than an especially coherent tactical map to which
they always adhere.
That is not to say that Zidane is not a tactically astute manager, with an especially acute sense
of how to change things subtly in-game.
But Real Madrid are blessed with some players of real talent, and so their potential formation
changes will say much more about whether Zidane decides to nullify Liverpool, or try to, and
let his game-changing individuals be the difference, or seek to attack and hope that this is the
best way to blunt Liverpool’s efforts.
Real will seek to occupy the middle part of the pitch with Casemiro likely to return following
Mateo Kovacic struggling somewhat against Bayern.
Against Bayern, in the second leg, Luka Modric played wide right with Marco Asensio wide
left.
Modric’s natural instinct is to tuck inwards but level with Toni Kroos, while Asenio pushed
forwards and in towards the ten position, from which he can roam vertically and horizontally;
Isco will do the same if deployed in this role.
As Real’s 4-4-2 does not feature naturally wide players, unless Vasquez plays on the
right, this will allow their full backs to get forwards, especially Marcelo on the left.
It will also create cramped conditions in the midfield, and give Real something like
a match-up against Liverpool’s midfield three.
Of course, Liverpool’s attacking prowess could mean that Real’s full backs are constrained,
especially given how ably Salah and Mane press in the wide areas.
This will be part of Liverpool’s defensive play; as much as they want to win the ball
back high to catch Ramos and Varane too far apart as they look to support a full back
being pressed, it will also help Liverpool keep Marcelo and Carvajal pinned back.
This could lead to Real going for a more vertical approach, with their wider players tucking
in and pushing up to create a sort of square off Karim Benzema and Ronaldo, eager to isolate
and run at Dejan Lovren.
Liverpool also need to be careful about their defence’s natural instinct to push up and
assist the midfield, and to mark a dropping-off Benzema, as this could leave Ronaldo in space
and able to feed of long passes from Toni Kroos, or angled balls infield from the wide
players.
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Liverpool will, similarly, want to run at Real’s centre backs – their approach of
quick interplays and running off each other would cause an issue for any defence, and
they can look to exploit Real’s desire to step up and play wide across the back line.
Both teams have enormous strengths, but this is not an easy game to describe in terms of
attack versus defence, as perhaps last season’s final was.
In keeping with both team’s approach, and how the competition has unfolded as a whole,
though, this is unlikely to be a cagey affair – both sides know they need to be on the
front foot from the off, with attack the best form of defence.
It’s likely to make for a scintillating game, whoever comes out on top.