MU Shorts
Rudiger, Camavinga start in a 4-3-3: How Real Madrid could line up against Man City
Real Madrid will be looking to book a place in the finals of the UEFA Champions League when they lock horns with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium later tonight.
The first leg of the semi-final tie between the two heavyweights ended in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, with Vinicius Jr and Kevin De Bruyne scoring two top-notch goals.
Both Real Madrid and Manchester City head into the game tonight with no advantage in terms of the scoreline, although playing at home could give the Premier League champions an edge.
Either way, it promises to be yet another tightly-contested affair between two of the best teams in Europe as a spot in the finals against Inter Milan awaits.
Heading into the game, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has the full squad at his disposal, and here is how he could set his team up against Manchester City.
Starters
Most of the positions are pretty much locked in for Real Madrid against Manchester City, with Thibaut Courtois lining up as the goalkeeper while Dani Carvajal is a certain starter at right-back.
Things get interesting in the centre-back department, though, with Eder Militao back in contention after missing the first leg due to suspension.
But considering how admirably Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba performed against Erling Haaland & co. last time out, Ancelotti might not tinker with the pairing.
Eduardo Camavinga should continue at left-back yet again after his masterful display against Bernardo Silva in the first leg last week.
The alternative would be to push Alaba to left-back while pairing Militao and Rudiger in the centre, releasing Camavinga to play in midfield. But it is likely that Ancelotti will stick to what worked so well last time out.
That would essentially mean Toni Kroos will again be deployed in the holding midfield role, with Federico Valverde and Luka Modric occupying the remaining two positions in the middle of the park for the reigning European champions.
As for the attacking line, there had been suggestions that Ancelotti might use Rodrygo Goes as a game-changer off the bench. But the Brazilian is in fine form and should start on the right flank. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr will complete the trident for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup: Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes
Marco Asensio is pretty much guaranteed to come on off the bench as has been the case for most matches this season. The winger has been in very good form of late and can offer an additional goal threat going forward.
Dani Ceballos will also be an option for Carlo Ancelotti if he wants to add more energy and impetus in midfield.
The Real Madrid boss could also turn to Aurelien Tchouameni if he is looking to tighten things up in the centre of the park. One of Nacho or Eder Militao could be called upon as well so as to release Camavinga into midfield.
Real Madrid’s season, under the returning Jose Mourinho, has not started as expected at the club.
In terms of results, eight matches have produced six wins one draw and two defeats in all competitions. Both losses have come in La Liga (five wins), leading to the Merengues occupying the fourth place in the table.
Meanwhile, arch-rivals Barcelona have maintained a perfect winning record riding on their relentless goalscoring form, opening up a six-point lead at the table.
Mourinho is using the international break to analyse what has gone wrong and what can be improved. And, several metrics and statistics show that Real Madrid has significant room for improvement.
As highlighted a few days ago, Real Madrid are the team that covers the fewest kilometres per match in La Liga on average, at 96.5, almost ten fewer than Barcelona’s 104.5. Los Blancos are also second-bottom for high-intensity runs per match, with 394.
Possession and defensive numbers
There are further figures suggesting that Real Madrid could be doing more in terms of off-the-ball efforts and defensively.
Real Madrid also happen to be the team that commits the fewest fouls, with 59, fewer than half Espanyol’s 120, yet it is also the team that has been fouled the most in La Liga, with 97.
In terms of recoveries, the Spanish capital giants rank 16th with 302, 38 fewer than Barcelona, while they are also near the bottom for interceptions, ranking 17th.
One argument could be that these figures indicate that Real Madrid are dominating games more often than they are dominated, leaving fewer opportunities to be aggressive without the ball.
However, the numbers do not particularly support that theory either. Real Madrid average 52.3% possession, only slightly more than half.
That is a long way behind Barcelona’s 68.7% and also below Villarreal at 61.4%. Even Atlético Madrid (59.1%) and Real Betis (53.6%) outdo the Merengues.
That possession also allows Barcelona to protect themselves more effectively. The Catalans have conceded just 51 shots, including 22 on target, while Real Madrid have faced 89 shots, with 31 on target.
Finishing not up to the mark either
Real Madrid can improve defensively, but the attacking numbers also reveal significant room for growth.
The biggest issue is finishing. The Merengues have scored 18 goals, 13 fewer than Barcelona’s 31.
That is despite the two teams having taken a similar number of shots: Barça have attempted 150, compared with 131 for Los Blancos. The difference is even smaller when looking at shots on target, with 58 for Barcelona and 53 for Madrid.
Barcelona’s players score once every 1.8 shots on target, while Real Madrid stars needs almost three.
The contrast is particularly clear when comparing the leading scorers for both teams, Raphinha and Kylian Mbappe.
The Brazilian has scored 12 goals from just 25 total shots and 16 shots on target. Real Madrid’s No. 10, meanwhile, has scored seven goals from 41 attempts and 22 shots on target.
The numbers clearly show that Real Madrid have a lot of work to do, both in defence and in attack, if they are to close the gap to the top.
Source: AS
Priyanka Roy
May 17, 2023 at 9:51 am
Whoever play…. Hala Madrid…. On 10 June at Istanbul we are going to lift the 15th UCL….. Again… Hala Madrid….
Today we will torn the Citizens all hope for having a treble this season….
Hala Madrid…..