UEFA Champions League - Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid: Tactical Analysis
The UEFA Champions League returned to action during the week and taking the stage was the first-leg, semi-final encounter between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium. A cracking battle awaited between two teams full of talent, but the actual result was a match that was far from absorbing and lacking in exciting action as it ended in a 0-0 draw.
To put it bluntly, it was a dull encounter played out in front of a capacity crowd that rarely got the pulses racing until the final quarter hour or so. Even then, it lacked the same vibrancy and life that many have come to expect from Europe’s elite club competition.
The repercussions of the final scoreline won’t be fully realised until the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Madrid will likely be the more satisfied considering Cristiano Ronaldo was unavailable and they still managed to avoid a negative result.
So, let’s take a detailed look at exactly how the match panned out with our tactical analysis.
Madrid void of incisive threat
There was little in the way of chances coming from the boots of any of Madrid’s attackers. Overall, they struggled to create clear-cut chances for themselves and were left to feed off scraps for much of the match.
Sergio Ramos nodded a header on target early in the second half, before Jese Rodriguez (who came on for Karim Benzema) hit the crossbar with a header from a similar position, but their general play in terms of creation and slick interchanges was really lacking. Even Luka Modric, who was always going to be key on the night, failed to create much of note aside from the odd attractive flick or pass here and there.
Simply put, Madrid’s play was static, erratic and full of lots of unnecessary passes that offered little of consequence – not worthy of this stage of the competition.
As outlined by this Squawka graphic, they didn’t possess the requisite shrewd performer to create danger in the opposition 18-yard area for a long time. In fact, it took them a full 71 minutes before completing a pass inside City’s penalty area when Carvajal fed Rodriguez for his effort that hit the woodwork:
PASS MAP: Real Madrid are yet to complete a single pass inside Man City's box so far tonight.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 26, 2016
Reserved display. pic.twitter.com/Uvr3IdCW22
Toni Kroos’ 65th-minute long-range effort from 30 yards was typical of the danger they created near Joe Hart’s 18-yard box. Their lack of threat was symptomatic of City’s excellent defending, but many would still have expected a lot more from one of La Liga’s best outfits.
With Cristiano Ronaldo forced to become a spectator for the evening on the bench with a muscle strain, it was more evident than ever that Zizou’s team are overly-reliant on the Portuguese star’s services. Had he been on the field, it would have probably been only a matter of time before he plonked the ball in the back of the net.
The competition’s all-time top scorer has sort of made a habit of it.