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As Mourinho readies his team to face Dortmund, he will retrospect on what went wrong in the first leg. He was clearly not happy with his players’ performance, especially their team’s defending. His quotes after the match, particularly about Real’s main nemesis, were “We know everything about Lewandowski, absolutely everything, we studied him from every detail possible and we lose him in three goals”. Lewandowski had an absolute peach of a game, scoring a hat-trick against a formidable Real Madrid side and becoming the first player in the history of European football to score four goals in a match against them. Dortmund defended as a whole unit and closed down Real’s midfield, especially Xabi Alonso, who is a crucial player in the team. Ozil was playing on the right instead of his customary central position, a decision which backfired miserably. He had zero attempts on goals, zero crosses and made no tackles. He had no influence on the game, which hurt Real Madrid, who were clearly looking to play on the break.
But Mourinho has another chance at Santiago Bernabeu to set things right. Real need at least 3 goals to win the game, which is a mighty task. But playing in front of their own fans may ease the pressure. It’s a probability that Dortmund would set up defensively or specifically “park the bus” in order to preserve the lead. But by giving the ball to Real, it would do more harm than good. Here are a few key points which could help Real turn around their tie against Dortmund.
Modric deeper alongside Xabi Alonso, Ozil central
Alonso is a player who dictates the tempo and has a great influence in Real’s attacking play. But against Dortmund, and previously against Manchester United, his influence was negated successfully. If Modric plays in the midfield too and Ozil higher up, Real will have the option of three creative players. If Alonso is closed down by Gotze (like in the first leg), Modric could dictate the play. In the case of the latter being closed down, Ozil could step up. So, with three creative players, Real would create more chances through the middle but should be careful about Dortmund’s ball retention. In the last game, Dortmund won more tackles in midfield and therefore Real should do more work in keeping hold of the ball in the centre. Whichever team dominates the midfield holds the key to the game.
Attacking from the left flank
Ronaldo is undoubtedly the main threat, and with the full back Coentrao charging up and down, they would clearly exploit the space left behind by Piszcek. With Marcelo out for three weeks, Coentrao and Ronaldo need to combine and catch Dortmund off guard, with their runs down the left. Ozil, a potential game changer, could help out both by overloading the left flank, with Ronaldo cutting in.
Real Madrid’s attacking movements
Set pieces
The Varane miss from a corner in the first leg showed Dortmund are vulnerable in set pieces. Real Madrid actually created their best chances from set pieces and from the left flank, and therefore should look forward to exploiting the same at the Bernabeu
Defending
Dortmund’s best player in the middle was Gundogan and he was largely influencial throughout the game. Real were not helped by the fact that Modric rarely stuck close to him and allowed him time on the ball. Dortmund did their job in closing down Real’s midfield players, particularly Alonso, whereas Real failed to close down Gundogan, who was playing the same role. The 22 year old had a pass completion rate of over 90 percent, an incredible figure. On Tuesday, Ozil or Benzema should be given the task of marking him whenever Dortmund gain possession and force him to move even deeper, between the centre backs. Lewandowski, who was a constant threat whenever he received the ball, must be closed down rapidly, a task which Real failed to do in the first leg, much to the chagrin of Mourinho.
The second leg could well turn out to be a cracker. Real will likely attack right from the first whistle and try to put Dortmund on the back foot. They will definitely test Dortmund’s resistence at the back. It remains to be seen whether Dortmund hold on to their 3 goal lead and leap to the finals. For Real Madrid, it’s a huge task ahead in what seems to be their toughest game of the season.
