Real Madrid – Manchester City: Another Bernabéu Blockbuster (3-3)
Welcome to Santiago Bernabéu, where dreams come to die. Pep’s pursuit of control was central to his choices before kickoff, but even he cannot keep the chains on European royalty for the full ninety minutes. Cue another affair for the ages that has left spectators no closer to a victor.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
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A clash of cultures at the highest level returns to the Champions League stage. What, in little over a week, will we be able to add to records that registered crazy comebacks and clinics of containment?
Real Madrid remain on target to take more trophies. Still only suffering two losses to their cross city rivals all season, Girona’s grasp on title aspirations has weakened. The league leaders now sit eight points ahead of Barcelona and attention can turn toward the task of continental conquest. The Spanish schedule allowed for nine days of rest before this tie. Would that turn out to be a competitive edge?
Manchester City have twice traveled to and from the Etihad Stadium in the same period. Stress and strain have surrounded those outings. The apprenticeship at Arsenal is paying dividends for Mikel Arteta, who has the upper hand over his master in the bid for the Premier League. Their talent is too good for most opponents. But will cravings for control be costly at the tail end of the campaign?
Pep Guardiola had rotated at Crystal Palace on the weekend. He picked four different players for this outing. One was not the goalkeeper: Stefan Ortega was still between the posts. Rico Lewis made way for Manuel Akanji on the right of the back four, Mateo Kovačić moved into the middle of the park next to Rodri, and Erling Haaland was the leading light as the striker. However, Kevin de Bruyne, his fellow finalizer, had given up his spot to Phil Foden as the central attacking midfielder due to illness.
Carlo Ancelotti called two players back into his starting plans after a 2-0 victory over Athletic Club. Eduardo Camavinga earned a place in the midfield. The manager dropped Nacho to the bench, so Aurélien Tchouaméni went into the center of the defense as the partner for Antonio Rüdiger. Brahim Díaz also bowed out of the first eleven. Vinícius Júnior was raring to go in the offense, while his compatriot Rodrygo, who had bagged a brace in the team’s last fixture, held onto a role in the lineup.
Rapid-fire remontada drums up the drama
Last year, City’s chain of control could not carve open their opponents at the Bernabéu in the first half. But two of Pep’s primary retentive players picked the lock inside the first two minutes. Jack Grealish ran off the shoulder of Camavinga, killed the pace of the ball to take it into his stride, and glided over the halfway line. Tchouaméni’s tackle was late, conceding a yellow card and a free kick. Bernardo Silva surprised Andriy Lunin, bending the ball low and towards the near post into the net.
Hardship hardly ever rattles Real, who responded emphatically. Switches swung the play from side to side till Toni Kroos found Dani Carvajal on the right flank. Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde flattened the midfield with their deep runs, inviting Camavinga to carry the ball forward into room. He shuffled away from Grealish towards the center of the penalty area, striking from range. The ball flew off target but bounced off Rúben Dias’ leg. The deflection turned Ortega astray to level the score.
Real Madrid were content to forfeit more of the ball. City laid siege on enemy territory in their standard 3-2-4-1 system, where Stones sat next to Rodri in the box midfield. Grealish and Bernardo banked on being patient in possession to stretch the field, while Kovačić was an additional profile able to wriggle his way out of the press in the middle of the park. Twice he dropped deep to dribble, drew Valverde inside with his actions on the ball, and released space outside the block to isolate Carvajal.
6th minute: offensive sequence from Manchester City. Foden’s reception had drawn the midfield outside on the right and the ball circulated from Bernardo to Rodri. Kovačić came towards the ball to receive rather than remaining higher between the lines. He dribbles laterally, further attracting the attention of Valverde, who was watching for Stones and Gvardiol on the far side. A forward touch sets a line breaking pass for Gvardiol to step onto and Haaland can run along the line to attack the depth.
Immediately, City constructed the staircase to reach Grealish on the outside. He set about foraying into the box and tried to whip a delivery around Carvajal into the danger zone with the outside of his boot. Lunin scooped up the ball to set away the Brazilians. Vinícius pulled John Stones out of the defensive chain with movement in a pocket behind the midfield. He pivoted and punched a through ball for Rodrygo, whose effort crept past Ortega. Two goals in two minutes had flipped the advantage.
Real rush rusty reigning champions
The occasion could have overwhelmed City. And at this point, it threatened to go that way. Rodri, the metronome in the midfield, had already been guilty of two loose passes towards the left of the offense inside the first quarter of an hour. That set the tone for a nervous half hour in which they only created one more shot and suffered a string of ball losses from players that are typically secure in possession.
22nd minute: defensive sequence from Real Madrid. Gvardiol had received the ball and Bellingham checked his stride to block the inside passing lane to Stones. He was on the inside shoulder of Kovačić, so he can act on telegraphing the wall pass round the corner to the advanced defender. Bellingham presses Stones and Camavinga had pushed forward, narrowing the gap for a forward pass to Kovačić. Valverde intercepts and Bellingham battled Stones as the platform for a transition.
At the same time, the hosts had to deliver on the part they played in this dynamic. Haaland lingered at the top of the formation, where the two central defenders worked to weed out his influence. Especially in the case of higher pressing situations, they were willing to trust in Rüdiger’s rough and rustic style against the talisman as an individual who knows how to manage open spaces. Madrid mostly sat in a 4-4-2 block. Wall passes frequently funneled into traps and pressure punished dwelling on the ball.
Moreover, Madrid can boast some of the best tools to hit opponents in the transition phase. Rodrygo operated once more on the left of midfield and could work in tandem with Vinícius to run at the heart of the defense— backed with the work rate of Bellingham. City seriously struggled to contain these breakaways. Brazilians could have added a third goal for the hosts before the start of the second half.
Pep Guardiola: "I think it has been a nice game... It's so difficult [against] Real Madrid because they defend really well and the pace they have up front is unbelievable, so always you concede transitions against that team. It's impossible to control it..." [via @footballontnt]
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 9, 2024
City claw back parity
Madrid continued to lurk on the break. Bellingham and Vinícius failed to hit the target just before the hour mark; further failures to connect the dots and reach the final third reflected falling energy levels. Over time, City could lengthen their spells in possession, looking to Foden on the half turn in the hole.
65th minute: offensive transition from Real Madrid. Valverde raced to clean up a blocked effort on the edge of the penalty area, carrying the ball away from Grealish in transition. Gvardiol shifts to cover against the progression on the wing and Bellingham is available to connect behind Rodri. Rodrygo is free on the left, Vinícius can dodge into channels on either side of Dias and Valverde follows through on his pass to offer more width. However, Bellingham bolts the ball too far to chase.
The gradual growth in the shot count during this phase ended with two brutal breakthroughs. Rodri ran through the center of the block, distributing the play to Bernardo on the right. Kroos covered inside, and Stones, who had advanced higher in the right halfspace, was free on the top box as an option. Camavinga closed him down, and then Foden demanded the ball. He seized the situation, swiveled, and smashed a strike into the roof of the net: Lunin at full stretch was nowhere near.
Foden floated from the right again in the 70th minute, showing between the lines for Rodri and bouncing the ball off Bernardo to drag the two central midfielders away from Grealish. The winger wandered forward with the ball, waiting for the moment to pop it back to Gvardiol. His teammate slammed a shot with his right foot that put City ahead for the first time since the start of the first half.
3️⃣ stunning strikes! 💫 pic.twitter.com/L5FGxKxcAt
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 9, 2024
At last, the substitutes showed up on the stage to try and tip the scales again. Luka Modrić came on for Kroos, and Brahim replaced Rodrygo. City failed to fashion out any more chances till the final whistle, while the tireless running of Valverde produced an outstanding finish. Vinícius roamed to the left and clipped a cross to the far side of the box, where Valverde cracked a volley along the floor and flashed the ball into the net. An equal distribution of six goals brought the scoring spree to an end.
Takeaways
Manchester City made it out alive from the lion’s den. The guests could have fallen further behind by the break in a display with frailties against breakaways. Faith in four trained central defenders has not safeguarded against this weakness as well as last campaign— and City ought to be wary for the return leg. However, time has taught priceless lessons to the camp. Calm heads controlled proceedings for most of the second half and armed them with an upper hand through the return to the Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid will not rule out their chances in this tie. Ancelotti was angry at the showing in the second leg against RB Leipzig with three men in midfield, and the return to a band of four repaired the balance of the construct. Dynamism and discipline in this interpretation of the plan rattled the champions, and only once tiredness kicked in did they regret the opportunities they had missed. The tie still hangs in the balance, and the world of football eagerly awaits the conclusion of this contest.
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