Copa del Rey: Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid - Five Talking points

Angel Di Maria (R) of Real Madrid celebrates scoring their third goal with teammate Alvaro Morata.

A bitter rivalry as this always leads to very chippy, closely fought and scrappy games, with most of the talk at the end of the match centering on the behavior of the players and the atmosphere rather than the performances on the pitch. Welcome back to a repeat telecast of all that was just mentioned above.

The Madrid derby has always been a spectacle to witness, and this particular installment had added attractions to it; one, it being the first leg of the semifinal of the Copa del Rey, two, the past weekend saw Atletico takeover the sole lead of the La Liga in a very long time and three, it coming so close on the heels of the passing of legendary Atleti and Spain coach Luis Aragones.

What the game turned out to be eventually was an ill tempered foul fest that saw Real Madrid record a comfortable 3-0 win to carry over a significant advantage to the second leg next week. The major talking points from the game follow:

1. The breathless start – Real pushed Atletico back and minimized space

Real Madrid made a concerted effort to throttle Atletico’s pressing game from the first whistle, imposing a pressing game of their own while pushing Atletico further back into their own half. The strong, direct running of Jese Rodriguez, combined with Di Maria wandering into spaces all around the penalty box made it difficult for the opposition to get out and counter, thus cutting out the supply to the Atletico forwards.

Pepe played as an advanced defender, at times level in his positioning with Xabi Alonso, as Real crowded Atletico out, and created spaces for themselves in the attacking third. This tactic was balanced out by Ramos staying behind and Arbeloa playing withdrawn to counter the threat of Atletico breaking out and hitting them against the run of play.

2. Atletico Madrid did not live up to the hype

Atletico looked the shadow of the team that had been unbeaten in all competitions since October. They chose the semi-final of the Cup to concede 3 goals for the first time in a game this season. In short, they seemed to have been a little caught up with the occasion, and failed to perform with the characteristic efficiency and surgical precision that they have shown all season long. Perhaps they were due one bad game, but sadly for them, that game was the semifinal against their fierce crosstown rivals.

The pressing game never showed up, and Koke and Gabi were simply outnumbered by the sheer numbers with which Real fell back, and so found it difficult to provide any good service to the front four of Turan, Garcia, Diego and Costa. The defence was a little off the pace, and Courtouis was at fault for the second goal, and in general had a shaky game.

3. Modric instrumental in Madrid possession game

In a match between two very evenly matched teams, Real bossed the ball, as they had about 72% possession of the ball. The difference between Real Madrid last year and this season is this precise point; they have had a much more focused objective while attacking, and that is to keep probing until the best pass is available. Luca Modric has steadily made one of the central berths his own, and his skill set stands him apart from the rest of the Real midfielders.

His ability to dribble out of tight situations, to pick out the most incisive pass, and to in general coordinate the movement of the ball from one side to the other looking for an opening has added much nous to their attacking capabilities.

Luka Modric fights for the ball with Juan Torres.

Last night, he showed himself to be at the top of his game, as he was always available, and was the principle reason why Real kept Atletico on the back foot all through. His defensive contributions are always understated, but it was Modric’s clearance off the line that prevented Atletico from pulling a goal back at a crucial period in the game.

4. Deflections and dodgy goalkeeping

When 2 goals out of 3 that a team concedes are through deflections, it makes it clear what sort of game it was. Although Real dominated possession, and were able to carve out a couple of good goal scoring chances, they were unable to break Atletico down regularly. Those long periods of possession, didn’t result in anything great, but what they did do was open up some space to shoot for the Real players, and shoot is what they did.

Both Pepe and Di Maria took very speculative shots that were more of a last resort than a preferred choice, and were aided by the deflections off of Insua and Miranda, which left Courtouis with no chance whatsoever. Courtouis however, did have a relatively bad game by his lofty standards, with his handling the best while dealing with shots from distance and the manner in which he allowed Jese’s shot to go under him for the second goal (credit to Jese for making that run and Di Maria for the subtle through ball)

5. Handbags, and then some more

Both teams do possess some characters, and they had a field day, performing. Pepe repeatedly got into shoving matches and animated discussions with Diego Costa, who played his part to perfection. Costa is like the slightly cultured goon (or the naughty child at home), who doesn’t openly get into fights or scraps, but makes sure he has incited the opponent enough to invite some sort of a reaction. And of course, for a man of his physique, going flying around at the slightest contact just makes it very funny.

If any one reading took offense because Ramos has not been mentioned, look no further. As is his wont, he had a discussion with Diego Godin going on all game, and a couple of times it seemed as though they were ready to take it to the next level. Thankfully though, common sense prevailed in the end, and they decided to let the others take the lead (read Costa getting suspended for the return leg by reacting to a Di Maria knee in the groin; very sly Angel).

Although the scoreline looks very one-sided, it might be an interesting game if Atletico can get an early goal next week when they play at the Vicente Calderon. The fact that they will have to do it without Diego Costa, their talisman, makes it that bit more tough.