Five tactical talking points for Real vs Atletico

Andy West 23:59 01/05/2017
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  • Ahead of the first-leg at the Bernabeu, Spanish football correspondent Andy West breaks down the dilemmas facing Zinedine Zidane and Diego Simeone…

    WHO REPLACES GARETH BALE?

    Unless Zinedine Zidane decides that Alvaro Morata has finally done enough to displace the struggling Karim Benzema – which seems unlikely – the identity of ten of Real’s starting line-up is more or less set in stone.

    The only doubt is who replaces the injured Gareth Bale. Marco Asensio got the nod in El Clasico and James Rodriguez started against Valencia at the weekend, but there’s a huge popular clamour for Isco to get his chance tonight.

    The former Malaga man has been in superb form recently and Zidane would face a big backlash if he leaves Isco out and the team struggles.

    4-4-2 OR 4-4-3 FOR REAL?

    What formation will Zinedine Zidane adopt?

    What formation will Zinedine Zidane adopt?

    There’s a great deal of flexibility within Zidane’s attacking ranks, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and James all capable of filling more than one role while Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez are more conventional wingers.

    This gives Zidane the opportunity to vary his formations, and the big question tonight is whether he will play with traditional wide men or, more likely, opt for a narrow midfield diamond with Isco at the tip.

    The latter requires full-backs Dani Carvajal and Marcelo to provide the width, which they can do superbly, but that approach also leaves Real exposed in defence against rapid counter-attacks.

    DO ATLETICO HAVE ANY RIGHT-BACKS?

    Sime Vrsaljko might start for Atletico.

    Sime Vrsaljko might start for Atletico.

    With regular right-back Juanfran injured, deputy Sime Vrsaljko in a race against time to recover fitness and now converted centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez also ruled out through injury, Atletico boss Diego Simeone has a major selection problem.

    Inexperienced midfielder Thomas Partey finished Saturday’s win at Las Palmas at right-back, while another dubious option comes from left-footed central defender Lucas Hernandez, who yesterday signed a new contract until 2022.

    With the task of defending against Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo, right-back is a key position and Vrsaljko being declared fit would be an enormous boost.

    WHO STARTS ALONGSIDE GRIEZMANN?

    Fernando Torres might start alongside Griezmann.

    Fernando Torres might start alongside Griezmann.

    Simeone has a straight choice when deciding the identity of Antoine Griezmann’s strike partner: does he go for power with Fernando Torres (above), or pace with Kevin Gameiro?

    Gameiro is back to full fitness and showed his value in away games with a magnificent counterattacking display in the last 16 at Bayer Leverkusen, where he had an assist, won a penalty, scored and hit the woodwork, but for big occasions Simeone often prefers to tire out the opposition defence by starting with Torres’s greater physicality before introducing Gameiro’s pace from the bench.

    CAN REAL STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE?

    Real Madrid's main man: Cristiano Ronaldo

    Real Madrid’s main man: Cristiano Ronaldo

    As Leicester and Barcelona discovered to their cost in the previous round, it’s unlikely that you’ll progress through a Champions League knock-out tie without scoring an away goal. Atletico, therefore, need to score, while Real should prioritise defence.

    A 0-0 would be a vastly better result for Real than for Atletico, but showing the kind of patient restraint required to keep a clean sheet is not generally a strength of Zinedine Zidane’s men.

    The recent Clasico defeat against Barcelona was a prime example of Real being unnecessarily reckless in attack, and they must be more balanced to counter Atletico’s counter-attacking threat.

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