Match Analysis :Real Madrid vs Man City (Uefa Champions League Playoff Second Leg 2024/25)- How Madrid's Tactical Brilliance Spelled Doom for City

Written by Paul Michael Ezeoha 

Real Madrid finally secured a spot in the knockout phase of the 2024/25 Uefa Champions League campaign with an all too easy triumph (3-1 thanks to Kylian Mbappe 's hat-trick) over English champions, Man City, in the playoff second leg tie. 

Man City's 4 nill victory over Newcastle United last weekend did instilled some degree of expectations for a competitive fixture, yet it turned out to be a one-sided game, as the Madrid based outfit dominated for most of - if not throughout - the game. 

This analysis therefore focuses on Real Madrid's brilliant tactics during the game. 

REAL MADRID'S FORMATION VS MAN CITY'S 

Carlo Ancelloti opted for a 4-3-3 lineup, the same formation he used in the first leg, while making only one change to the squad that faced City last week. 

The Belgian shot stopper, Thibaut Courtois , started between the sticks . The back four consist of Ferland Mendy at left back, the recovered Anthony Rudiger who takes his place at the central back alongside Raul Acensio , and Federico Valverde started in right back. 

The triad midfield setup include Tchouameni, Ceballos and Bellingham.

Finally, up front, Vinicius jr and Rodrygo operated from the flanks, while Mbappe played in the number 9 position. 

 (Figure 1) Real Madrid's 4-3-3 formation

Conversely, Pep Guardiola lined up Man City in a 4-2-3-1 formation, breaking away from 4-3-3 which he had opted for in the first leg. He made several changes to the squad that started that game.  

This time around, Marmoush takes the place of the injured Haaland in the number 9 position . Foden replaces Jack Grealish . Nico Gonzalez and Ilkay Gundugan started in the midfield in place of John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne,respectively.  Also,Khusanov replaced Akanji at the defense . 

City's formation goes this way: Ederson Moraes started in the goal post. Josko Gvardiol played in the left back position, Ruben Dias and John Stones started as City's double central backs, while Khusanov played in right back .

Ilkay Gundugan and Nico Gonzalez paired at the holding midfield. Bernardo Silva operated as the number 10 , while Foden and Savinho played as in-field forwards. 

Marmoush, as emphasized before, was used in the number 9 position. 

     

  (Figure 2) Man City's 4-2-3-1 formation 

REAL MADRID'S FLUIDITY 

A common trend which is idiosyncratic of Carlo Ancelloti's Real Madrid, is the fluid behavior of players on the pitch . 

The players are given enough liberty to make certain decisions by themselves during the game ,even without seeking consent from their coaches. 

Part of this decisions involves assuming different positions and roles on the pitch when they deem it necessary to do so. 

This idea of given players liberty to express their intelligence, forms part of Carlo Ancelloti's coaching philosophy. He believes that the players are human beings with intellect, and so they possess the capability to act independently, rather than always being told what to do as though they are some sort of programmable machines. 

Therefore, the focal point of his coaching philosophy is to nurture the players' ability to act independently, while only bringing to their awareness the fundamentals of the kind of football he wants them to play. 

Just a little digression, you can check out this video clip where Carlo Ancelloti explained his coaching philosophy . 

One major advantage of having players constantly interchanging roles/ positions is that it could make the team quite hard to defend against . This is so because the opponents would have to come against different players with varying technical capabilities and skill set at various locations on the pitch ,every now and then. 

Also, the constant changing of positions by the players would present them with the opportunity to try expressing their abilities from other positions. In doing so, they could bring in better performance than the original occupier of the position. 

In the match, there were several occasions where this behavior was noticeable amongst Real Madrid's players. 

The build up to Mbappe 's third goal is one instance: Rodrygo assumes Mbappe's position in the number 9,  and Mbappe operates from the right hand flank .

He(Mbappe) dribbles in and cuts to his left leg before curling a shot to the right hand corner of City's post. 

                                

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Another scenario is seen in Mbappe's missed chance . In the below images, Real Madrid is seen in their five man attacking structure.  

The width is now provided by a full back and midfielder (Valverde and Bellingham  respectively) instead of the traditional wingers as we did see in the above images. 

Conversely, Vinicius and Rodrygo who are the traditional wingers for Real Madrid, now take on a much central position at the edge of City's box 18. 

Valverde then plays a pass into City's box, which Mbappe attacked but couldn't convert to a goal. 

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REAL MADRID 'S SWIFT ATTACKING PLAY

A most recurring theme in Real Madrid's playing style was the constant forward runs initiated by the attacking minded players behind City's high defensive line.  

Carlo Ancelloti knew fully well that City would become desperate for goals and would therefore try to press high up the pitch. They would also try to maintain a very high defensive line when out of possession so as to keep the high pressing structure of theirs compact .  

With this understanding in mind, Don Carlo was determined to take advantage of the situation. 

He employed the same tactic as that of the first leg in Manchester: the forward run from attacking minded players like Mbappe, Rodrygo , Vinicius and Bellingham behind City's high defense line and the willingness to quickly play the ball to them when they initiate the run. 

(In case you missed out on the first leg's analysis, you can check it out to have an idea of Real Madrid's tactical approach in that game

https://thespectrumanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/02/match-analysis-man-city-vs-real-madrid.html ) 

So, when Real Madrid were in possession of the ball, they always look set to release these forward runners as quickly as possible. 

In other words, they were very direct in their attacking approach !

Kylian Mbappe's first goal came about as a result of this tactic. Real Madrid's central back, Raul Asencio ,plays a long through ball behind City's high defensive line for Kylian Mbappe to attack . Kylian Mbappe out ran City's defenders,Dias and Stones, to receive the pass before playing a chipped ball over Ederson into the post. 

 

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Also, this tactic was what led to his second goal. Bellingham plays a line breaking pass for Vinicius jr . He (Vini jr) makes a diagonal run behind City's high defense to then receive the ball. He squares the ball to Rodrygo who then plays a pass to Mbappe in City's 18 yard box. 

Mbappe's leg work takes Gvardiol out ,and then he places the ball at the back of City's net. Real Madrid were 2 nill up ! 

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The scenario below is another instance where this tactic played out. Tchouameni receives a pass from Raul Asencio in space behind City's forward rushing midfield line. He turns and immediately loops in a through ball over City's high defensive line for Mbappe who makes a run behind to receive. 

With the ball, Mbappe attempts to score , but Ederson made a save . 

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CONCLUSION 

To summarize, Real Madrid structure was quite fluid as the players constantly interchanged positions. Furthermore, they relied heavily on the forward runs made by the pacy attacking minded players, a stratagem specifically aimed at exploiting City's very high defensive line. 

This tactics turned out to be potent as it led to several goal scoring opportunities. It is therefore safe to say that it was a comfortable win for Los Blancos. 

With this victory, they've secured a spot in the Uefa Champions League round of 16, where they would vie for a spot in the next round.