Real Madrid roll back the years with flawless tactical display to leave Chelsea reeling

Real Madrid’s poor performance in the Clasico against Barcelona may have given Chelsea a bit of hope ahead of their crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against the Blancos, and rightly so.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side was completely atrocious against the Blaugrana and were deservedly beaten 4-0. However, Los Blancos turned up at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in a different mood.

Not only were they more peppy and dynamic but they also forced Chelsea to play to their strengths. In the end, Karim Benzema was the difference between the two teams.

The France international was at his lethal best, with his hat-trick sealing an important 3-1 victory for Real Madrid on the road.

Blancos put Chelsea to the sword

On paper, there was very little to separate both teams but once the game started, it was Real Madrid's attack that gelled the most.

Vinicius Jr. and Benzema constantly terrorized Chelsea’s defence and the former nearly opened the scoring in the ninth minute, only for his effort to hit the crossbar.

If that was a warning, the Blues obviously didn’t heed it. The next time the pair combined, it resulted in Vinicius pulling away from his marker before crossing the ball for Benzema to head home the opener.

Chelsea struggled to deal with Real Madrid’s intensity. Three minutes after the first goal, Benzema was again left unmarked in the box to direct another header into the net following a pin-point cross from Luka Modric.

The Blues gave themselves a lifeline before half-time when Kai Havertz pulled one back. However, any hope of a comeback was doused right after the restart when Edouard Mendy’s mistake allowed Benzema to complete his hat-trick. It was a clinical performance from the Blancos as they put Chelsea to the sword.

Ancelotti’s tactics work to perfection

Ancelotti got to know that he’d be able to be on Real Madrid’s bench just hours before the game. The Italian manager returned with a negative COVID test and his presence really did help.

Choosing to name his starting line-up two hours before kick-off, the decision to play Federico Valverde as one of the front three raised a few eyebrows. However, it was a great tactical tweak and Valverde’s presence offered an extra body in midfield anytime the Blancos were under attack.

Real Madrid did not enjoy a lot of possession. However, the way they set up allowed them to attack the spaces behind Chelsea’s backline without giving up too many chances at their end. Ancelotti said afterwards, as quoted by Realmadrid.com:

“We put in a very good performance and were brave and showed our personality. We were the better side but there’s still another game to come and anything can happen. It's now half-time in the tie and we want to produce the same performance in the return leg."

"We've given ourselves an advantage after producing a good game plan and that's all there is to it. We've clearly got an advantage but the tie is still wide open. Chelsea benefit from the fact that the away goals rule is no longer in place.”

It’s fair to say Ancelotti’s team selection and tactics worked to perfection and Tuchel had no answers. The second leg might pan out differently, but as it stands, Real Madrid are huge favourites to advance to the semi-finals.