Tactical Analysis: How Real Madrid Defended Manchester City And Stayed Alive For 120 Minutes

Manchester City extended their unbeaten home streak in the Champions League to 31 games (at least in 90 minutes). However, their impressive record was overshadowed by Real Madrid’s victory, dealing another blow to Pep Guardiola’s team.

Under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, the seasoned champions once again demonstrated their prowess in the competition. The outcome emphasized Real Madrid’s ability to withstand Manchester City’s aggressive play and emerge triumphant.

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Real Madrid’s Resilience and City’s Persistence

Following a lively 3-3 draw in the initial encounter, seizing the lead in the rematch eased any apprehension lingering from Madrid’s 4-0 defeat last season. A blend of a speculative long pass, trademark Madrid precision, and a stroke of luck allowed Rodrygo to secure a pivotal advantage for his team. It was a lead that the visitors fiercely defended throughout the match.

City maintained possession dominance while Madrid adopted a deep defensive stance with disciplined numbers. It wasn’t until the 76th minute that City’s persistent probing yielded results, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring a well-deserved equalizer. However, De Bruyne missed a golden opportunity to put his team ahead as the game approached extra time and the possibility of penalties, marking yet another impressive outcome for Ancelotti and Real Madrid.

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Real Madrid’s Tactical Adaptations and Dynamic Play

Ancelotti implemented slight tactical adjustments for Real Madrid compared to the first leg. Initially set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Vinícius Júnior operated centrally, posing a threat behind Manchester City’s central defenders. This positioning facilitated better connections with teammates on the right flank compared to the previous encounter. Both full-backs and wide midfielders provided width around City’s defensive structure.

Jude Bellingham started as the number 10 but dropped deeper to link up with the center-backs and the double pivot of Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga. They ensured defensive coverage by individually shifting wide to cover the spaces left by Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal’s forward movements.

Real Madrid also executed intelligent longer passes into the spaces behind City’s defense, with Bellingham making forward runs to support Vinícius. Fede Valverde operated as a right-winger while Rodrygo occupied the left flank. The visitors initiated short build-up play along the backline to draw City players forward before launching balls in behind, as observed in the lead-up to their sole goal of the match.

Carvajal’s delivery found Bellingham, who combined with Valverde and a more centrally positioned Vinícius to assist Rodrygo’s goal. Following the goal, Real shifted into a low defensive block for the remainder of the first half.

Guardiola’s Adjustments and Akanji’s Impact on City’s Attack

Guardiola once again deployed Manchester City in their familiar attacking shape of 3-2-4-1, derived from a nominal 4-3-3 setup. Manuel Akanji shifted from central defense to a double pivot alongside Rodri. Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne operated as the two attacking midfielders, closely shadowed by Kroos and Camavinga from Real Madrid, potentially influencing Real’s choice of the 4-2-3-1 formation for the match. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden engaged in frequent one-on-one battles against Real Madrid’s aggressive full-backs, while Erling Haaland focused on challenging Nacho whenever possible.

To counteract Madrid’s deep defensive block, City’s wingers started dropping deeper to receive the ball and evade the tight marking from Carvajal and Mendy. Despite this adjustment, Real’s full-backs continued to track their movements, and Madrid’s pivots maintained close surveillance on De Bruyne and Silva. This left Akanji as the free player, often positioned to receive passes behind Real Madrid’s midfield trio and connect with City’s forward line.

Akanji’s positioning in the double pivot on the right side of the pitch added potency to City’s attacks down that flank. With defenders preoccupied by Foden’s dribbling and De Bruyne’s runs, Akanji exploited the spaces between the lines and surged forward. As Mendy aggressively closed down Foden, De Bruyne capitalized on the resulting space behind. Conversely, the City left flank saw less activity, with Carvajal receiving a booking during one of the few occasions when Grealish gained the upper hand in a one-on-one duel.

City’s Left-Side Dominance and Real’s Defensive Resilience

In the second half, Manchester City intensified their attacks on the left side, capitalizing on Carvajal’s cautious approach towards Grealish due to his booking. This allowed City to exploit space behind Carvajal and generate dangerous situations with penetrative runs from Silva. De Bruyne, Haaland, and Foden positioned themselves to capitalize on crosses from this area, with Akanji providing additional support by shifting across.

Despite City’s dominance in possession and territory, Real Madrid defended resolutely with a back six. Kroos dropped deeper to protect the left inside channel, enabling Mendy to mark City’s wide attacker on that side. Valverde provided cover on the right, ensuring additional protection around Carvajal, who guarded access to the inside channel. Camavinga and Bellingham screened the defense, while Vinícius and Rodrygo served as counter-attacking outlets. Real Madrid’s commitment to this deep defensive block was evident, as their only shot on target came in the 12th minute, coinciding with their goal.

Throughout the second half and extra time, City continued to apply pressure, amassing a total of 32 shots and 18 corners. They eventually equalized after Jérémy Doku replaced Grealish, providing a more aggressive threat against Carvajal. Doku’s cross led to a poor clearance, resulting in De Bruyne’s goal.

City’s converted back three positioned themselves high to thwart potential counter-attacks and confine Real Madrid deep in their defensive third. Despite De Bruyne missing a golden opportunity to win the tie, City couldn’t find the breakthrough, and Real Madrid emerged victorious after a tense penalty shootout.

What The Managers Had To Say After The Match

“Congratulations to Real Madrid – they defended so deep with incredible solidarity,” said Guardiola. “We did everything, defensively and offensively. They made a good goal. There were two, three, four transitions, but it is normal at that level with the quality they have. We played exceptionally in all departments. Unfortunately, we could not win.”

“There was only one way to get out of here alive,” said Ancelotti. “We did well to score early on and then we showed the commitment to defend the lead. We defended well, we had to dig in and fight hard. We could have played better, but the team were defensively superb.”