Real Betis 3 – Real Madrid 5: Tactical review

Sunday night proved to be a nail-biting one for Madridista’s worldwide. With a thrilling eight-goal feast between Real Madrid and Real Betis in Seville, there was plenty of attacking, woeful defending, and drama.

With a brace from Marco Asensio and single goals for Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Karim Benzema, it was a nervous but certainly entertaining showdown. Here at The Real Champs, we will be reviewing the tactics used in this game.

Personnel

Manager Zinedine Zidane employed a flat 4-4-2 formation in this game – the lineup consisted of Keylor Navas, in front of him stood a back four filled by Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, and Marcelo.

In front of them was a four-man midfield with Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic in the central berth that was flanked by Asensio and Lucas Vazquez.

The attack was spearheaded by the duo of Ronaldo and Gaeth Bale. The bench consisted of Varane, Benzema, Theo Hernandez, Kiko Casilla, Isco, Benzema and Dani Ceballos.

The formation picked for this game has proven to be shaky for the majority of this season. Typically a formation for a solid defensive structure, something Madrid lack, it was shown throughout the first half that they had issues in this regard. The entire midfield was easily being overrun by Betis. All four players across the midfield were unable to cover any of the lines effectively.

Betis found it incredibly easy to push up the pitch as a result of open passing lanes, they were able to play easy triangles right up-to the Real Madrid box. Another apparent issue throughout the first half was defensive discipline. Casemiro was especially poor in this game, we also saw Carvajal and Marcelo leaving space in behind numerous times, especially on counters.

Finally, Ramos often marauded forward leaving Nacho and the others stretched at the back. Overall, defensively this performance left a lot to be desired.

The attack wasn’t much better in the first half – the forwards generally struggled to crack the determined defense of Betis, despite Asensio scoring in the 11th minute, there was little attacking moments worth noting in the first half.

Ronaldo, Vazquez, and Asensio looked lively in dribs and drabs. However, Gareth Bale left a lot to be desired after a very quiet first half.

The second half was a lot more of an open game. With Betis tiring from their own pragmatic style, it suited the quick play of Asensio, Vazquez, and Bale, all of which saw a lot of action. The hosts who had a 2-1 lead headed into the break saw their lead taken away by a vintage Sergio Ramos header five minutes into the second half.

Madrid continued to press with the flanks producing a lot of chances – Asensio scored his second of the game nine minutes later following a sensational run from Dani Carvajal down the right wing.

The intense attacking rampage continued with Ronaldo firing a rocket from inside the box into the far corner, his 10th goal in his last six games. Following the rather quick blitz, the tempo slowed a little and Real Betis pulled one back late to take it to 4-3 thanks to Sergio Leon.

However, any late comeback drama was put to bed as Benzema buried the game with a goal in the dying minutes to make it a 5-3 final.

Next: Real Betis 3 – 5 Real Madrid: How it happened

Despite an incredibly weak defensive performance, it was great to see some fight in the team. With strong performances again from Ronaldo, Vazquez, and Asensio – the team seems to be in good form heading into the mid-week encounter with Leganes.

The main concern from this game would be the injury to Marcelo, however, reports have suggested it isn’t long term. Many will certainly be hoping he’s fit to face PSG as he was instrumental in the first leg and could play a key role again.

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more post-match coverage!