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Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) Manager: Jose Mourinho
Real Madrid started pressing right from the moment Barcelona kicked off and
succeeded in forcing Valdes to make a mistake. This scramble led to Madrid
scoring via Benzema within the first 30 seconds as they got off to a brilliant
start. The pressing from Madrid was well thought out by Mourinho as Madrid
forced Barcelona into hurried progressions that destabilized them. This was
done by Benzema forcing play vertically from the centrebacks. He used his
cover shadow well to block the passing option behind him and stop the pass
between Puyol and Pique.
Once the pass was played to Pique or Abidal on the left side, di Maria pressed
him very aggressively and closed him down quickly making use of his
excellent pace. Ronaldo did the same on the other side by positioning himself
in between Alves and Puyol. Barcelona looked to try and negate the press by
using Busquets but Madrid pressed very intensely in the center. Ozil was
tasked with marking Busquets and the other two central midfielders- Alonso
and Diarra ensured that they covered Xavi and Iniesta in this situation as
Madrid forced Barca into a very unstable rhythm. This worked in Madrid’s
favour as Barca could not enter the final third and there was a lot of
randomness in the centre. Turnovers occurred in the flanks and Madrid looked
to pick Barcelona off on counters.
With Alves being specifically asked to move higher on the right and Xavi
occupying the right side of central midfield, the right side was of major focus
to Barcelona in their build up. This meant that Iniesta was always used as an
outlet on the left side to switch play. While the added presence of Iniesta
might have definitely helped Barca’s case in the center, it also meant that
Barcelona could always vary it with Iniesta on the ball far side and use his
individual quality to break the Madrid lines.
As stated above, Barcelona’s heavy presence in the centre of the pitch meant
that they could effectively curtail any Madrid attack in its bud. While
Barcelona were renowned for their counterpressing under Guardiola and
displayed the trait in all of their matches, the reason for its special mention in
this match is the adaptations from Pep in Barcelona’s basic structure that had
an impact on the counterpressing. The focus on the right side meant that the
player density in the ball near area was high for Barcelona and they could win
the ball back immediately or at least push Madrid into frenzied passes
vertically.
While the switch to the back three was intended to provide stability in build-
up, it also pitted Puyol on the right side of the Barcelona defense. Puyol’s
excellent reading of the game and anticipation was a key factor in his
interceptions and clearances as he was able to win almost all of his individual
duels. With Madrid looking to use Ronaldo as an outlet on the left when they
won the ball, the ball being won on Barcelona’s right side as they focused on
the side clearly, Puyol being situated on the right side proved to be an
indirect consequence that tilted the game further in Barcelona’s favour.
Conclusion