Barcelona-Real Madrid: Madrid’s defensive compactness clinches Clasico(1–3)
Barcelona vs Real Madrid, a footballing spectacle of all sorts did justice to its reputation as the game kicked off with an excellent first half which saw both sides find the net. However, Real Madrid’s asymmetric 5–3–2 shape ensured that the visitors clinch the Clasico through a Sergio Ramos penalty followed by Luka Modric’s delightful finish on the stroke of 90 minutes.
Tactical analysis and report by Adon Jimmy.
La Liga heavyweights Barcelona & Real Madrid clashed at the Nou Camp ending with Madrid overcoming a Barca side which could only display bursts of brilliance throughout the match. Midweek exertions in the Champions League meant that both teams had little time to prepare for this season’s Clasico. Madrid was under huge pressure following their pathetic display against Shaktar Donetsk midweek and much of the build-up towards the fixture was how will Zinedine Zidane cope with left-sided heavy Barcelona possessing the attacking threat of Ansu Fati, Jordi Alba & Philippe Coutinho.
Line-ups
Barcelona under Ronald Koeman lined up in a 4–2–3–1 shape which morphed into a 4–4–2 out of possession. Madrid set up in their traditional 4–3–3 which became an asymmetrical 5–3–2(Asensio dropping in to help Nacho/Vazquez combat Barca’s attack heavy left side.
An exciting first-half saw both sides score
While Koeman has regularly played a 4–2–3–1 shape in possession comprising of Fati, Coutinho, Messi & Griezmann, he threw a curveball at Zidane by fielding Fati centrally, Coutinho LW, Messi No 10 & Pedri as a right-sided winger. This tweak was made to give Messi much more freedom to roam rather than be a fixed striker which primarily limits his space on the field. Koeman’s plan saw Fati pinning Madrid’s centrebacks, thus isolating Casemiro 1v1 against Messi.
Analysing both first-half goals
Barcelona was annihilated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season. There were several tactical wrinkles which led to the drubbing, but one of the primary reasons was their inability to counter-press effectively higher up the pitch. Things have steadily improved under Koeman with the introduction of young legs of Fati, Pedri & Coutinho, but the cohesiveness in the press is still lacking. Madrid’s first goal was a testament to this fact, as all four attackers of Barca were trying to counter-press, but De Jong unnecessarily pushed way too high leaving a huge hole in the midfield. Ideally, one would want De Jong to cast a cover shadow on Nacho preventing the cross-field switch by Ramos. But, the press is broken and Alba now has to pressure Nacho which leaves Benzema free to receive and turn. Benzema threads a superbly weighted pass into space for the onrushing Valverde who caps off the move with a brilliant finish into the top corner.
This goal perfectly sums up player relationships on the pitch. The whole world knows Messi to Alba ball over the top is inevitable but Madrid fail to sniff out the danger. Messi drops into midfield like always, this forces Casemiro to follow him. The whole play is now being collapsed on Barca’s left side and Coutinho stays narrow pinning Nacho allowing Alba to overlap. Asensio fails to track Alba’s run which allows the latter to run into space. Varane cannot catch up and Alba plays a simple cutback for Fati who coolly finishes beating Courtois. Zidane must have been incredibly frustrated to concede this goal as he instructed Asensio to help Nacho shut down Barca’s dangerous left flank.
The above heatmap gives us an indication of the contrasting nature of Madrid’s right & left flanks. Vinicius, Mendy & Benzema were much more attacking compared to Asensio & Nacho/Vazquez. This gameplan from Madrid was visible through their asymmetrical 5–3–2 shape where Asensio joined the backline to give it 5 at the back shape. Vinicius stayed high and wide as an outlet for transitions giving him the license to run at Dest, but the latter came out on top winning almost every duel. Casemiro is a huge liability while Madrid consolidate possession and thus all the responsibility of build-up rests on Kroos’ shoulders. But with the presence of Ramos, Kroos’ workload reduces as the latter is an elite passer in build-up phase. Ramos’ importance to Madrid’s build-up play was evident in their recent struggles against excellent counter-pressing teams(City & Ajax). Ajax’s & City’s press rattled Madrid as Kroos had no outlet to relieve pressure due to Ramos’ absence.
The above image clearly depicts how Coutinho stayed narrow pinching Nacho with him, thus giving Alba more freedom to overlap. Coutinho constantly received the ball in the left halfspace with Alba & Messi available as options. This allowed more rotations on the left side as Barcelona caused plenty of issues for Madrid in possession. Barcelona overloaded the left flank which allowed Messi, De Jong, Coutinho & Alba to rotate effortlessly stretching Madrid’s backline for Fati’s penetrative runs. Barca's right flank was much less busy compared to their left. Pedri would often tuck in operating in the right halfspace rather than providing width so that Dest could make overlapping runs. Messi would provide support on the right depending on the game situation.
Nacho’s substitution forced Vazquez to come on and the latter produced a solid performance making crucial interventions and robbing possession from the hosts. Madrid took the lead through a Ramos penalty awarded by referee Martinez Munera as Lenglet pulled Ramos down in the box during a corner sequence in the 61st minute. Madrid sat off in a deep block and was happy to gift possession to Barcelona, blocking all the channels and compressing the space. Barca’s lack of central presence coupled with Madrid backline’s aerial prowess ensured that space for Barca’s attackers especially Fati vanished.
The above xG timing chart shows that the quality of chances created by Madrid rose rapidly after they took the lead as Koeman started throwing more attackers on the pitch sacrificing control for goals. Barca formed a double pivot of Coutinho & De Jong after the attacking changes while chasing the game, which provided zero control and making the game more chaotic. Madrid was knocking on the door and on the stroke of the 90th minute, Madrid extended their lead through a Modric goal.
Observations
Madrid ran out as deserved winners in what proved to be a closely contested first half, followed by clever defending by the visitors in the second half. Koeman’s substitutions certainly did not help his side while chasing the game as they handed the keys to Madrid to take control of the match. A double pivot certainly helps De Jong to play in his natural position(more like a left-sided centre-back who drives the play forward.) But, the biggest loser due to this tactical shift is Busquets because a double pivot requires athletically able midfielders. Busquets would be hoping Koeman shifts to the favoured 4–3–3 as this system doesn't expose his physical decline. Whenever Madrid broke Barca’s press, the hosts were outnumbered in midfield 2v3 which put Busquets in unfavourable positions to defend transitions. For Zidane & co, the result is a huge boost in their title run and this solid defensive performance will calm nerves in the Spanish capital. Cules should be optimistic about the future(Fati, Pedri, Trincao all are exciting prospects) and there are clear signs of improvement since the Bayern debacle.
