Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s draw against Levante

The BBC not the answer?

When Real Madrid were struggling in attack early in this season, it became very popular to blame Zidane’s trusted 4-4-2 Diamond formation for Madrid’s lack of attacking fluency. Indeed, the 4-3-3 that Zidane rolled out in the 7-1 thrashing of Deportivo was hailed as a “fresh change from the diamond that coaches had scouted to its core.” In the 4-1 win against Valencia, the return to the 4-3-3 reached its apotheosis with the reintroduction of the B-B-C (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) attacking trident.

It was no surprise, then, to see Zidane opt for the BBC against Levante. But unfortunately, the formation failed to produce the kind of attacking potency that Madrid fans came to expect from their team last season.

Interestingly enough, against Levante, the much-maligned Karim Benzema was without a doubt the best of the trio. Benzema’s work rate without the ball, his intelligent hold-up play, and his ability to combine well with his team-mates all paid dividends, something that showed in his assist to Isco for Madrid’s second goal.

Unfortunately, both Ronaldo and Bale failed to match the Frenchman’s contributions. Ronaldo was poor on the night. Bale, on the other hand, looked completely isolated from the rest of his attacking trident.

Take a look at the above passing chart from @11tegen11 on Twitter. Ronaldo and Benzema were nestled together in an attacking partnership, combining with Kroos and Marcelo on the left. Bale, on the other hand, was stuck out on the right, combining with Modric and Carvajal. While these partnerships on the flank tend to work out well for Madrid, the complete lack of connection between the three members of the attacking trident stifles the value of having the 4-3-3 in the first place. This creates a situation where Madrid’s entire attacking momentum comes from the flanks, with very little penetration through the center.

One need look no further than the Who Scored heatmaps for this match to see how Madrid’s bifurcated attacking setup hindered the BBC’s performance against Levante.

That giant Zidane’s-head-sized-hole in between Bale on the right and Benzema and Ronaldo on the left is where Madrid’s attacking chances went to die. Madrid’s attacking trident works best when each of the players can magnify the skills of the other. But when they are left isolated like this, the BBC simply does not look like the thrilling strike force that we’ve come to expect.

Those hoping that the BBC would be the panacea for Madrid’s myriad problems may have to look elsewhere for hope. The problem does not appear to be the formation, but rather the player’s ability to work within it, and Zidane’s ability to get the most out of the formation tactically. Both of those features went awry against Levante.