Real Madrid will begin their quest to defend the FIFA Club World Cup title Wednesday in Abu Dhabi as they face the team from the host city, Al Jazira. Here are three things to watch for in the match.
The team’s momentum coming off the win over Sevilla
I am very anxious to see if Real Madrid can carry their momentum from Saturday’s big win over Sevilla, to this competition. One of the things we here are The Real Champs have discussed over and over is this team finding a rhythm and playing with some confidence.
This match is certainly the time to do it.
Not to disrespect Al Jazira or overlook them, Real Madrid should win this match with ease. I’m sure like many of you football fans out there, you can’t name a single player on the team from the United Arab Emirates.
In fact, I had no idea there was a league in the UAE until I saw this was who Real was them playing in the semis.
With FC Barcelona the first match back in La Liga play for Los Blancos on December 23rd, this should be looked at as a chance for two extra tune-up matches that has a trophy associated with it.
Cristiano Ronaldo in front of goal
Two goals in the previous league match were as many goals as Ronaldo had in the previous 10 league matches. Averaging just shy of 7 shots per game in league play an producing just four goals is pretty pitiful.
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So, one thing to keep an eye out for will be Ronaldo’s finishing ability in front of goal. Marco Asensio set CR7 up nicely for his first goal against Sevilla Saturday as he tucked the ball into the bottom corner neatly.
On the penalty, he looked like the Ronaldo of years gone by as he stepped up confidently and beat the keeper. This is the Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid to have in this match. Against a team that isn’t used to seeing a superstar like Ronaldo, the Portuguese international needs to have himself a day in front of goal.
He showed it against APOEL in the fifth group stage match of the Champions League as he scored two goals and added a great assist.
Zinedine Zidane’s tactics
A common talking point following the Sevilla match has been the question of will Zizou play his team the same way as he did? The formation and tactics worked to perfection as Real Madrid played by far their best half of the season scoring five goals.
One thing I noticed, and was happy to see, was the limited number of crosses sent into the box. Too many times this season, the attackers and midfielders have seemed lazy trying to work the ball around in the center of the pitch.
Rather, they send the ball out wide to either Isco or one of the attacking-minded fullbacks and rely on him to provide a perfect cross in the middle. As we saw with the build-up play and great passing, this team is more than capable of creating goals.
That is not just limited to Ronaldo either. There are at least seven players on this team who can create chances on their own.
In order for Real Madrid to win comfortably, they will need a good setup created by Zidane and patience. There is no need to get in a rush and force ill-advised crosses into the six-yard box all match.
Next: Real Madrid: Squad news and injury updates ahead of Club World Cup