Real Madrid's identity crisis

Real Madrid’s incredible league run last season en route to their 33rd La Liga title seems so long ago now. Despite starting this year with comfortable wins over Manchester United and Barcelona in the Super Cups, Madrid suffered back to back draws against Valencia and Levante and a shocking loss to Real Betis at home. Within the first five match days, the club’s title defense was over.

We have heard the different opinions on Los Blancos’ failure to retain their domestic crown – the lack of a quality striker, the loss of players at key moments this season, the lack of form from star players, and the obsession with European glory superseding everything else.

However, Real Madrid has made it to the Champions League Final and are on the cusp of a three-peat. This all coming without having played to their full potential all year. Narrow wins over Juventus and Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and semifinals have left a lot to be considered by manager Zinedine Zidane and his staff.

Ask any Real Madrid fan what Zizou’s line-up will be on any specific day and they will likely draw a blank. This level of unpredictability is good to a certain extent, making it difficult for the opposition to lineup against them.

Zidane has made favorable changes to his starting XI and yet, they failed to fulfill their potential this year. The main reason why Madrid failed to defend their La Liga title was their lack of identity.

Zidane made changes in every big game without implementing a clear blueprint. It seemed as though he himself was unsure of Madrid’s strongest XI; it doesn’t help much having a team that can produce multiple world-class line-ups.

These changes in formation and personnel reduced the team’s chances of building cohesiveness and rhythm through the season.

A footballing identity can mask individual deficiencies (like a lack of form) and can allow a team like Real Madrid to not completely rely on their individual talent, as they have for so long. If your stars do not turn up, the chances of winning fall drastically.

Zinedine Zidane’s formation dilemma

Diamond vs. flat midfield

The Real manager has fielded several formations during this campaign, with his favorite being the 4-4-2 diamond. This system was experimented towards the end of last season and provided Isco with the freedom to roam and create overloads across the pitch.

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This system has been figured out by the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich, and even FC Barcelona in the 3-0 loss at the Santiago Bernabéu in December.

The flat 4-42 was next used against Paris Saint-Germain, both in the form of second-half substitutions in the first-leg and as a starting line-up in Paris – masking the loss of both Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to injury.

This has been Zidane’s “secret weapon” of sorts, making second-half substitutions of Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio in order to widen the pitch and have fresh legs against the tired opposition.

Despite the defensive stability and offensive capabilities of this formation, the manager kept reverting back to the relatively unstable diamond.

The Bayern test

Zizou’s use of Mateo Kovacic against Bayern Munich was a bid to control possession and a welcoming change. it meant that Zidane recognized Casemiro’s troubles against the opposition’s pressing and chose to put out a press resistant midfield to control the pace of the game.

The reason this backfired was because of the overall system implemented by Zidane – playing Lucas Vazquez at right back – he put pressure on Luka to help cover the right flank and deal with the interplay and bombarding runs of Franck Ribery and David Alaba.

This effectively took him out of the game and reduced his influence in the middle of the park. In addition to this, the team played with no organization or compactness, with acres of space between the lines that were constantly exploited by the German champions.

Return of the 4-3-3

Compare this to to the game against Barcelona. Zidane chose arguably Real Madrid’s strongest XI in a 4-3-3 with the BBC frontline of Bale, Benzema, and Ronaldo; this showed, with a strong first half display. However, CR7’s injury in the first-half was crucial and Madrid could not take advantage of their numerical superiority.

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But overall, this game was a huge improvement from the second-leg against Bayern. Los Blancos were the dominant side and controlled most of the game and the 4-3-3 utilized Nacho at right-back and Bale as the right-winger, providing better defensive cover on this flank while also reducing the defensive burden on Luka.

While we can argue that any XI fielded by Zidane is potentially masterclass on a good day, a solid tactical plan in place would really help. A recurring issue with this Real Madrid side has been the lack of compactness and organized pressing scheme that could nullify opposing attacks.

A simple tweak to a good line-up is enough for this Madrid team to deliver a great performance every matchday. Having an identity, a set formation, and setting a goal on how the team should play will go a long way. Real Madri has a huge summer ahead of them, with big decisions to make.

Hopefully, thought will be given to the kind of players required and the kind of football they want to be playing come the new season.

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more great Real Madrid coverage!

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Real Madrid’s identity crisis

By Anakha Varma | May 15, 2018