3 things Real Madrid need to do to beat Bayern Munich
After scraping past Juventus during the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Real Madrid will now face German giant Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League in what will be a repeat of last year's quarter-final clash between the two European heavyweights.
Bayern Munich beat Sevilla during the Champions League quarter-final with a timid 2-1 scoreline over the two legs while Real faced a real scare when Juventus neutralized a 3-goal deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu, only to blow it away in a moment of complete madness.
So, without any further ado, these are the 3 things which Real Madrid need to do right in order to trounce Bayern Munich:
#3 Get the formation right
Real Madrid has primarily used two formations this season, a flat 4-4-2 and a 4-4-2 diamond with Casemiro at the base of the diamond and Isco at the apex of it. But the results from the above two formations have been contrasting, to say the least.
During the start of the season, Zinedine Zidane preferred 4-4-2 diamond formation and Real Madrid looked bereft of ideas and dropped crucial points to minnows such as Levante and Girona.
This formation relies heavily upon Madrid full-backs' ability to provide width in attack and the ability to track back while defending in equal measures. But with Carvajal's injury earlier this season and Marcelo's poor form, Real Madrid were unable to use wings as an attacking outlet and lost further ground to Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
Real Madrid have used the 4-4-2 diamond formation in 19 matches across Champions League and La Liga this season and managed to win only 10 out of those matches.
While on the other hand, whenever Madrid has used the flat 4-4-2 formation this season, the results have been terrific. Los Blancos have managed to win 12 out of 14 games played in this formation.
With Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio providing enough cover to Carvajal and Marcelo respectively, Madrid look like a completely different side in this formation.
Interestingly, it was the use of this formation against PSG and Juventus during the knockout rounds is this season's Champions League campaign, which tipped the scales in Real Madrid's favour when the ties looked evenly poised. So, all Zinedine Zidane needs to do is to get his formation spot on.