We aren’t far away from one of the most anticipated clashes in the UEFA Champions League this season. Only three days remain until Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, at the Etihad. It’s going to be an exciting game for sure, and Real Madrid would like to seek revenge for their elimination at the hands of the English club in 2020.
As expected, Manchester City enter this game as the favourites, and Real Madrid will be the underdogs, despite having knocked out the defending champions Chelsea in the previous round. It is understandable though, because City are the best team in the world at the moment, and they can be labelled as an almost-perfect team.
It will be a difficult task for Real Madrid to beat Manchester City, but it isn’t impossible. And Los Blancos need to win the first leg at their home, which will give a massive mental edge to the team.
So let us have a look at the keys to victory against City, in the first leg at the Etihad this Tuesday.
1. Plug all the gaps in the defence
Pundits often say that “Goals win you matches, but defence wins you titles”, and it is 100% valid in the case of any club. Real Madrid started as an ultra attacking side under Carlo Ancelotti this season, outscoring the opponents to clinch the three points. But it wasn’t until the Italian made some defensive fixes that his side looked like a consistent one.
Against City, the highly successful Ancelotti would love to see his defence step up for the big game, but he has a mini-defensive crisis on his hands. David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Casemiro are out injured, and their presence isn’t guaranteed for the first leg. Ferland Mendy has returned to training, and even his back-up Marcelo is back to training, but the Frenchman’s presence is very important against a team that has players like Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva on its right-wing.
Alaba’s availability is a doubt as well, and being Real Madrid’s best ball-playing defender, he will be a major miss. Casemiro hasn’t been at his best this season, but no manager would wish to have his regular starter unavailable and Ancelotti will wish that all of them will be available for this tie.
In the worst-case scenario, the backline would comprise Dani Carvajal/Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Nacho and Marcelo/Carvajal, with Camavinga shielding the defence. This does look like a major downgrade from who we usually see every game, but we shouldn’t forget that defence with Carvajal as the CB didn’t concede a single goal against Chelsea. Irrespective of the personnel, it is important for the defence to keep a few things in mind, and put in a strong performance against Manchester City.
First of all, the centre-backs should keep in mind that they should avoid leaving the backline needlessly to go and press an attacker. This tactic from Nacho cost us two goals against Chelsea, and it left a gaping hole at the back, which was well exploited by the Blues’ pacy attackers. The centre-backs should maintain defence, and they need to ensure that they maintain the defensive line throughout the game, and execute the offside trap well while maintaining a high line.
Positional discipline and a proper marking scheme will help the team clear crosses in a better way, something which has been lacking all season. Guardiola might be tempted to play Gabriel Jesus, who has scored 4 goals and assisted another against Watford, against Madrid, given Real’s issues defending crosses. Such a situation would call for greater focus and discipline from Real’s backline.
Another tactic Real need to execute as a team is that they shouldn’t afford to give City a lot of space outside the box, particularly in zone 14. City’s creative players can destroy any opposition from such areas, and the team must try their best to force City’s players wide, and have minimal space between the lines, which will help the team defend City’s low crosses and cutbacks. Madrid shouldn’t exactly follow the tactics deployed by their local rivals Atletico Madrid, but their defenders should be quick with their decision-making and be confident.
The most important thing Madrid’s defenders need to keep in mind is that they shouldn’t lose concentration at any point of the game, and shouldn’t be in two minds. In 2020, three of the four goals scored by Manchester City across the two legs, and Sergio Ramos’ sending off in the first leg were due to individual mistakes and concentration lapses. There shouldn’t be any scope for unnecessary fouls in the box, careless giveaways, and other unforced errors in a big game like this.
And the right-flank needs to be defended well, given Carvajal’s struggles against quicker wingers this season. Raheem Sterling is one such player who can produce the end product, and Fede Valverde needs to start this game at any cost and he should be Carvajal’s partner on the right. The Uruguayan’s presence is enough to solidify the right flank.
2. Win the midfield battle and don’t allow Manchester City to settle down
I’ve mentioned the same thing in a lot of my articles before big games like this. Winning the midfield battle will be highly decisive in a big game, and that enables a team to control the flow of things and dictate the terms. But the opposition over here is a huge one, that can’t be dominated easily.
There is a reason why Manchester City are cruising this season in the Premier League and the Champions League, despite the absence of a star striker. It is because of their supreme technical quality and excellent squad depth in every position. Every player can survive the pressure in tight spaces and can create something out of nothing. With players like Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Bernardo Silva in the middle, and possibly any of Grealish/Foden/Gundogan, they can outnumber any midfield and gain control of the game with relative ease.
None of these players is physically dominant, but they are technically world-class and are very industrious on the pitch. City’s pressing isn’t as scary and relentless as Liverpool’s gegenpress, but it is well-planned and effective. Players surround the opponent having the ball in seconds, while also cutting off the available passing lanes. And their united press forces the opponents wide, where it becomes a simple task for the team to regain possession or take the ball out of play from there, and break the opponent’s momentum.
And yes, did I forget to mention that it is equally difficult to deprive City of the ball?
I might have exaggerated at some points, but City is indeed a well-built and well-run team. Against such a solid team, the only thing that can help Real Madrid is teamwork. Real have two of the greatest midfielders of all time in Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, two talented workhorses in Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, and a natural ball-winner in Casemiro. They have the individuals who can easily bully any team on their day, but they don’t seem like a team at times, especially during those phases in which they don’t have the ball.
Real’s pressing doesn’t have a proper structure, and they only seem to be pressing when an individual decides to press the opponent out of nowhere. If Real want to dominate City, the men in white need to press in unison. Fede Valverde and Luka Modric can be the runners when needed, but others need to cut off the passing lanes and support them, to ensure that it is a team effort.
Except for Casemiro, every other midfielder is press-resistant and they can operate in tight spaces. But to escape City’s pressure, it is equally important to be quick with their decision making and ensure that players move around to present themselves as an outlet, instead of being too static. The static nature of Real Madrid cost them a lot against Manchester City in the second leg in 2020, where they were easily outnumbered and couldn’t do a lot of damage due to their slow decision making.
In short, Real Madrid’s midfielders need to produce the perfect team performance to dictate terms in the first leg.
3. Capitalizing on Manchester City’s weaknesses
In any game of football, being proactive and forcing the opponents to commit mistakes and then capitalising on those mistakes is a common tactic. Real Madrid often does the same, and they should be trying to do the same against City. And City, like any other football team, have their weaknesses, though there aren’t many.
One thing the team shouldn’t forget while starting the game is that they shouldn’t let City score the first goal. If City scores first, they will have complete control of the game after the goal and never present any chance to the opposition while leading. In City’s seven losses this season in all competitions, they conceded first, and I think that does show something.
City is a team that builds the attack from the back, starting with their goalkeeper Ederson Moraes. Ederson is very comfortable and confident with the ball at his feet, but he is prone to committing howlers and being slow with his decision making at times. This is something Karim Benzema should take a note of, and he should be planning to add Ederson’s name to the list of the victims of his pressure.
Like any other Guardiola team, even City are prone to conceding on the break. But their players recover quickly most of the time, and teams need to be quick in transition to capitalize on the breaks. Their way of defending crosses is a lot better now, compared to 2020, but they can be hurt with quick and low cutbacks. And they are also susceptible to conceding from set-pieces and shots from range, something which will keep the likes of Modric, Militao and Valverde on their toes. One moment of individual brilliance against this quality side can prove to be the difference-maker.
And last but not the least, Madrid should be mentally strong. They shouldn’t lose hope and confidence after conceding a goal or committing a mistake. City is indeed the best team in the world, but they haven’t won a single Champions League title yet. Why? Because they tend to choke at times, and their performance dips under pressure, something that we have observed against Chelsea last year and Liverpool every time. Even an intellectual succumbs to the pressure before a big match by often overthinking and overcooking his tactics.
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On the other hand, Real Madrid are mentality monsters. In the Champions League, they have produced two incredible comebacks this season, showing their mental strength and willpower from time to time. If they can show the same grit and determination at the Etihad, they can gain the mental edge over City and defeat them in their backyard.