How Real Madrid’s midfield is its achilles heel
At Real Madrid, there’s plenty of talent in every third of the pitch, but there is one position in particular that has become crucial to its success. Here’s what it is and what happens when it is absent.
Often times you’ll hear the expression that a match is won or lost in the middle of the park. This could not be any truer with Real Madrid. Like many teams, the balance and tempo of the team are set by the midfielders.
With the arrival of ZInedine Zidane in January of 2016, he changed the way the team functions and moves the ball from one end of the pitch to the other. His appointment also evolved Real Madrid’s tactics in the midfield.
Real Madrid has utilized the 4-3-3 system as do many other clubs in Europe, but the way its midfield is designed is different. On paper, the club’s strongest midfield three consists of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro. The Brazilian sits deep amongst the trio working as a buffer, almost like the first line of defense ahead of the back four.
The position that Casemiro plays is often labeled as a Central Defensive Midfielder. At Real Madrid, Casemiro is the first choice pick for that role as he possesses the highest game IQ and experience amongst his peers. When he is injured though is when the issue arise.
Partners Toni Kroos and Luka Modric struggle to be effective without having Casemiro himself present. Due to his absence, they must dedicate some of their time and energy to helping out defensively, which reduces their productivity in the attack.
Kroos can be lazy at times, nor is he known for his tackling ability. On the other hand, Modric’s age means he tires out more if he is required to take on more of a defensive role. That’s not to say that it can’t be done but it isn’t the best option.
Last year, Madrid had Mateo Kovacic to back up the Brazilian in the event he was injured or needed a rest. The Croatian did a superb job as well, his strong dribbling ability and tackling added another dimension to the club’s midfield.
This year, things are slightly different as Kovacic has gone out on loan to Chelsea. Second string midfielders Dani Ceballos and Marcos Llorente are now the backups in the event Casemiro is missing.
In the last two matches, Real Madrid has played we have seen Santiago Solari field Casemiro’s replacements as he is out due to injury.
Comparing the starting lineup from Real Madrid’s last two matches there were only three changes that were made. One of them was in the midfield where Dani Ceballos played the first match and Marcos Llorente the second.
On Matchday 13 of La Liga, Real Madrid was on the road to play Eibar. The game ended in a disastrous 3-0 loss. Part of the reason was the imbalance in the midfield. Kroos and Modric were fielded, with Dani Ceballos sitting between the two. Earlier this week, Solari slotted Marcos Llorente in between Kroos and Modric which seemed to work well.
Ceballos, being attack-minded naturally went forward in an effort to build to the attack. While that is great – it left the middle of the park open and susceptible to counter attacks, which is exactly what happened on several occasions.
Against Roma, Llorente was more disciplined helping the defensive line in warding off any dangerous attacks. In the opening minutes of the match, he did well to rip the ball off his opponents as well as making interceptions.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when Real Madrid played against Roma and fielded a true CDM they walked away with three points. The tactics and formation of this squad require a CDM to provide the coverage as the team shifts forward during the attack.