Tactical Review: Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid - Unstoppable force finally shatters immovable object

Carlo Ancelotti was hired to win La Decima - and he did just that, prevailing over Diego Simeone’s plucky fighters, and in the process equalling Bob Paisley’s three European Cups.

However, the match was a lot narrower than the final result suggests.

Strategy

Marcelo’s introduction in the game was a turning point

The numbers were simple. Real Madrid had scored the most goals in this year’s Champions League (37), while Atletico had conceded the least (6). They hold the same distinctions in La Liga as well, so on paper this was a straightforward contest: Real’s attack vs Atletico’s defence.

But with Real missing their most important functional player in Xabi Alonso, the midfield was weak. This may have motivated Diego Simeone to start Diego Costa, whose physical power and work rate without the ball have been crucial in both of Atletico’s victories over Real in the last 12 months (and of course, the goals). Atletico’s initial tactics were aggressive: they pressed up the pitch and attacked Luka Modric and Angel di Maria, preventing them from passing the ball accurately. In the first hour alone, the pair attempted 86 passes to Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, of which only 10 found their target.

In this regard, Koke and Gabi were exceptional. In attack, they got high up the pitch to compete with Real’s central trio for the ball; then moved the ball quickly when they got it, while also tracking back to deal with Real’s wingers. Sami Khedira has hardly played since November, but he was defensively solid tonight and covered Raul Garcia well, often challenging the tall Spaniard for aerial balls. Godin’s opener aside, Real didn’t put a foot wrong defensively. Modric gave a good account of himself, but there was little he could do in a midfield that Atleti had flooded time and again. Simeone knows that Atletico are at their best when squeezing out space for the opposition, and for the first hour his gameplan worked brilliantly.

It’s hard to pick a specific turning point, but Atletico’s aggressiveness certainly dropped in the 2nd half. Their players came in deeper, and stopped pressing in midfield – and Real’s aura increased.

Here, bench strength was probably a factor. Atletico’s high tempo and defensive solidity are good enough to defeat most sides by the hour mark, but at the end of a season where half the first XI have played over 4000 minutes, Simeone had few options to call upon and one sub wasted because of Costa. Carlo Ancelotti’s rotation, on the other hand, has kept his players fresh. Ronaldo has played 8 minutes in the last 3 weeks, Isco did not feature in the 1st half and high-stamina players like di Maria naturally thrive in the 2nd half, as defences retreat deeper.

But the key change tonight was Marcelo for Coentrao.

Marcelo and di Maria

The Argentine Di Maria was mightily impressive

Back in the old days, a Brazilian left-back named Roberto Carlos helped Real win 3 European Cups. Tonight it seemed history was repeating itself, this time wearing an Afro.

Marcelo was sublime. His energy and desire immediately lifted Real, as he charged down the flanks with such ferocity that the rattled Juanfran and Koke were pushed right back onto the edge of the box. The threat down the left Atletico had been prepared for, Ronaldo, was inconsequential tonight. If anyone changed the game, it was Marcelo and the Argentine Angel di Maria.

As Atletico moved back into their penalty box to protect their lead, di Maria’s prominence increased. He didn’t score a goal, but he was everywhere – sprinting with the ball, drawing defenders away as a decoy, delivering crosses to Morata or Ronaldo in the box, and making a massive nuisance of himself in every way possible. Both Garcia and Miranda were booked for hauling him down as he sped towards goal, and increasingly Atletico needed 3 or 4 players to keep him in check. For the second half of the 120 minutes, di Maria was absolutely magnificent.

As Ancelotti went for broke, Real threw five attackers and the full-backs forward, leaving gaps at the back. It was hardly surprising in such a tense, edgy contest that both goals in regular time came from set-pieces; but Atletico rarely attempted counters after the 60’ mark. Perhaps Simeone was confident he’d won it – both his previous wins over Real were by one goal, after all. They defended as a team and with great spirit - it was heartening to see Villa at 32, sprinting furiously in the 88th minute to tackle Isco.

But in the end, sheer brute force of quality is hard to defend against. The surprising thing was that it took till the third minute of injury time, but once extra time started, the wind had gone out of Atletico’s sails. They did fairly well to hold off Real till the 110th minute, but all the momentum by was with Los Blancos and it was clear Atletico would need another defensive gift to regain the lead. The 10-minute blitzkrieg that won Real the match was therefore unsurprising, as fatigue gave way to Atletico’s indiscipline at the back.

Ironically, it was a Real counter-attack that won the game, after they had spent most of the match forcing Atletico back. First di Maria broke down the left and fired a cross that Bale headed in. Atletico have dealt with crosses superbly this season, but surprisingly there was no one to back up Courtois as the shot sailed across the goalmouth.

Next, Marcelo weaved his way into a good position and fired a shot that Courtois got a hand to, but was just too quick for him. It was a well-deserved goal for the Brazilian, and fittingly the one that killed off the contest. Atletico were by now demoralized and had given up the ghost, as witnessed by the lazy challenge that resulted in Ronaldo’s late penalty. The concession, and yellow card, were a shame for Godin, whose first half goal so nearly saw them through.

Conclusion

A great season, but no fairy tale ending for Atletico Madrid

There’s no shame in losing a final to a great side, but the 4-1 scoreline does little justice to Atletico. They were 2 minutes away from a fairytale ending to perhaps the most brilliant season witnessed this century, and are indisputably the team of the season. Whether they can retain this form without their best players is another matter, but for now they can look back with pride at a Champions League campaign without a single defeat in regular time. Simeone must take his due share of the plaudits; his leadership and tactical intelligence have take Atletico thus far, and they must now try to hold on to him.

Real left it till late, but have finally lifted La Decima – an achievement sweetened by their record signing scoring the winner, as he did in the CdR final a month ago. However, it was the introduction of Marcelo and the incredible physical resources of di Maria that saved the day for Real, who at the end of the day were deserving champions.