How Carlo Ancelotti's tactics helped Real Madrid finally conquer Chelsea

Real Madrid locked horns with Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals, winning 3-1 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Despite some calling the clash an even contest ahead of kickoff, Chelsea were mostly chosen as the favorites. But Real Madrid showed their class and dominated Chelsea for almost the entirety of the first leg.

Karim Benzema once again won the match for Los Blancos with a hat-trick. But this was a game where Carlo Ancelotti once again proved that he is not just a great man-manager but a tactical genius. From lineups to fluid rotation of players in between both defensive and attacking transitions, it was just near perfection from the Italian manager.

Real Madrid Tactics against Chelsea

Chelsea FC v Real Madrid Quarter Final Leg One - UEFA Champions League

Carlo Ancelotti's lineup

Ancelotti, as usual, went with a safe and balanced starting XI with a 4-3-3 formation. But the inclusion of Fede Valverde was the difference.The Uruguayian's workrate and physicality was what Ancelotti needed, with the midfield trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro providing the balance and experience in the middle.

Ancelotti's tactics in possession

With a 4-3-3 formation, when in possession, the men in white were pressed by the home team. Kai Havertz pressed the centre-backs while Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic stayed wide. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy were pressed by Chelsea's wingbacks.

When Reece James went higher up and pressed Mendy, Vinicius Jr. positioned himself in the space created. Due to this, Andreas Christensen followed Vinicius as the other two centre-backs were positioned to cover.

In this sequence, Los Blancos had numerical superioirity in midfield. Kroos, Modric and Casemiro had the advantage over two-man midfield of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. To counter this, Mount moved in and marked Casemiro, but this happened very rarely. With a numerical advantage, Real Madrid's midfield negated Chelsea's midfield press and moved the ball forward with ease.

This created the first goal for Real Madrid when Mount moved in and marked Casemiro, restoring the balance in midfield. James pressed Mendy higher up, which meant Christensen was isolated with a 1V1 against Vinicius. Benzema and Vinicius played a one-two between them and Vinicius won the foot race against Christensen. Thiago Silva had to come out of position to defend Vinicius. This opened up space in the middle for Benzema to score a goal from Vinicus's cross.

Another tactic the Italian tactician used was allowing Mendy to move higher up the pitch, with Kroos playing deep almost as a left-back. This meant that Kante, the man marking Kroos, had to move out of his position to man mark Kroos. This created a more numerical advantage in the midfield for Real Madrid.

For the second goal, Kroos was deep and to the left flank. Mount did not tuck in and press Mendy, while James stuck with Vinicius. With Havertz marking the pass towards centre-backs, Casemiro remained free and in space as the Chelsea team was out of shape. Once Casemiro got the ball, he moved forward, forcing Jorginho to press him, freeing up Modric who ran at the Chelsea backline when he got the ball from Casemiro.

Modric ran into the space created and played a passing sequence with Valverde. When he got the ball back, he played a first-time cross into the box, which Benzema headed in. It was a high-quality team goal, moving the ball around until an opening was found.

Ancelotti's tactics out of possession

Chelsea FC v Real Madrid Quarter Final Leg One - UEFA Champions League

While out of possession, Ancelotti's men pressed high up the pitch, but when the press broke, the team went back into shape and sat deep. This is where the inclusion of Valverde, even as right-wingers were present in the squad, was such a great decision.

Valverde, while defending, tucked alongside Carvajal as a right-back, creating a five-man backline. The home team used a 3-2-5 formation while in possession, so Valverde tucking in created a 5V5 situation. This neutralized Chelsea's attack as there was no numerical superiority present.

Another tactic Ancelotti used was to make Casemiro sit in between the centre-backs, forming a six-man backline. This is something old English clubs used to implement while defending. This created a numerical advantage in defense, while Benzema dropped deeper and the midfield duo of Kroos and Modric were stationed just outside the box.

But this tactic has its own cons: a two-man midfield cannot mark or intercept passes outside the box, and Chelsea have a numerical advantage in that part of the pitch. This led to the Havertz goal. Chelsea played through Kroos and Modric and when Jorginho got the ball he was free. Casemiro, who was between the centre-backs, could not press. Jorginho had the time and space to pick the pass, chipped it over the backline and Havertz headed in the goal.

Ancelotti man of his words

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain: Round Of Sixteen Leg Two - UEFA Champions League

After suffering a heavy defeat in the El Clasico, Ancelotti accepted his mistake after the match. "I can get it wrong once, but I don’t usually get it wrong twice." This is what he said in the press conference after the match. He stayed true to his words as he produced a tactical masterclass against Chelsea away from home.

Real Madrid are 3-1 up in this tie with the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next Tuesday. Arguably, there is no one better at managing the lead than Ancelotti, a man with huge experience and at this level of football. It is going to be a daunting task for Thomas Tuchel's men.