Five Ways Tottenham Can Defeat Real Madrid

If he plays, Bale is the key man to bank on for Spurs

This one portion of the quarter finals holds an interesting clash between two teams of white shirts. A mouth-watering clash between La Liga’s Real Madrid and EPL’s Tottenham Hotspur and we will see any of those two take on (obviously) Barcelona in the semi finals. Since the draw which took place weeks ago, many has it that the Spanish Giants will ‘Spur’ passed Tottenham in a jiffy. Is there any chance that the latter might even touch the ball at the Bernabeu? Well, laugh as loud as you want but this would not be an easy game. Tottenham Hotspur is one of the finest clubs in the English Premier League and they won’t give away the ball easily. Although Real Madrid may literally look like giants, there are, perhaps, ways that could silence these Giants once and for all.

Here are five ways Tottenham Hotspurs can beat Real Madrid:

1. Find their Weakness The Los Blancos are known for their threat in the wings, especially when Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria controlling up the flanks just like two deadly dragons. But as the season has progressed, we have seen that although they have the best of wingers, their defenders lack a bit of quality. Why do I say so? Just look at the former Chelsea man, Ricardo Carvalho. He, in my opinion, has passed his peak. Past the age of 30, one does not have that kind of stamina as a 20 year old does. And Marcelo isn’t the best of defenders. If you ask me, I say he is better at scoring than at defending. So, I think the best chance for Spurs to win is to pressure their opponent’s defenders. With Crouch and Defoe, what can go wrong?

CR7: Reals Danger Man

2. Block Cristiano Ronaldo at all costs The 80 million record signing has proven more than his worth at Madrid for the past 2 years. The deadly foward is a threat to almost every team in the world. If this is the case, defenders such as Assou Ekotto and Corluka will have a tough job on watching out Ronaldo. Like it or not, they must avoid any mistakes as Ronaldo gives no mercy to his prey. Errors caused by any of the back four could prove to be fatal. In another way, success in blocking the foward will give them at least 80% success in conceding any goals because Ronaldo literally is the one pulling the strings behind the whole game play. Nevertheless, reports have it that Madrid Manager Jose Mouinho has hinted that Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema may miss this clash due to injuries. Mind games or can this be the chance for the Lilywhites to bash their opponents?

3. Maintain Possesion Real Madrid are known for their speed in their playing style especially when the likes of Di Maria and Ronaldo running up and down the flanks. The key to destroy their speed and mutilate their ‘adrenaline rush’ is to slow down the game at times. How do we do that? I say maintain possession and avoid any unnecessary errors. Playing with speed affects the entire game. I trust Luca Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart for this trick. Midfields are the main ‘switch’ to speed. With Van Der Vaart pulling the strings to their game play. It will be a pain in the butt for the Los Galacticos.

Flurry of yellow cards from the Referee

4. Be Careful With Cards And Avoid Tackles Van Persie’s incident at Barcelona should be able to serve as a harsh warning to the Spurs team. Although the decision in Barcelona itself was unjust, football is just not prepared enough to overcome any such blunders at this level of the game. It absolutely proves that one terrible mistake could cost Spurs the game.To make things harder, Harry Redknapp and his troops will definitely be aware of Cristiano Ronaldo’ wild antics and relationships with ‘diving’ acts. Nonetheless, it has the ability to cause irritation among opposition defenders and therefore, Spurs must be alert and intact at all times to prevent any unwanted incidents from literally screwing up their chances. Either Spurs ignore and proceed with the game or they could even be the masters of their own downfall.

5. APPLY Newton’s 3rd Law Of Motion For every action, there must be a reaction. Therefore, for whatever threat Madrid pose down their flanks, Spurs must do it too. After all, what can possibly be detrimental when they have the likes of Lennon and Bale on their ranks.Lennon was the obvious catalyst behind the downfall of Milan at the San Siro not so long ago. And if he can run against the experience of Nesta and the energy of Silva, bombarding Marcelo and Carvalho should not be a huge problem. Pace is the only way to disrupt this Madrid defence- which has never looked convincing this season