Champions League Final: Which Formation Should Zidane Use For Real Madrid?

As D-Day comes close and anxiety starts to kick in, we keep scratching our heads over what could be Zidane's starting lineup for the much coveted UEFA Champions League final showdown. Let's take a look at possible combinations that Zidane could pull out of his hat against Jurgen Klopp's resurrected Liverpool side.

It's set in stone that Ronaldo, Navas, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Carvajal, Kroos, and Modric will start, given all of them are fit. The question remains over Casemiro (partially), Benzema (partially), Asensio, Vazquez, Bale, Isco, and Kovacic for the three vacant spots.

Which formation and personnel will he use? Who should get the nod from Zidane based on individual, circumstantial and tactical factors that can help Los Blancos lift their 13th European cup and complete a three-peat to rewrite footballing history?

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#1 Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond

Players likely to fill up the spots: Isco, Casemiro, Benzema

Zidane's favourite line-up this season; he loves to roll out a 4-4-2 Diamond every time he's unsure or, on the contrary, when he's completely sure about how he wants to conduct his business. The formation has come under much criticism lately as it lacks sound vertical structure and horizontal compactness. Real Madrid have looked dull in this formation.

Isco lines up at the head of the midfield diamond, Casemiro sits at the base as an anchor while Kroos and Modric take either side to complete the diamond. Benzema pairs up with Ronaldo up front.

Sporadically it has worked well for Madrid. But it hasn't been the solution to their problems. It works well against teams that like to sit deep in a low to medium block with two banks of four behind the ball.

Will Isco start with Casemiro?

Isco seamlessly slips between the two banks of four and starts his disco in the half-space from where he springs dangerous one-twos alongside the diminutive magician from Croatia and the German pass master.

Jurgen Klopp may not ask his team to invite pressure while ceding possession to sit back and play on the counter-attack. He knows his team is capable of much more and he will ask his players to play their lungs out if that's what it takes.

Mind you, Klopp is capable of galvanising his squad. Remember the 4-1 dismantling of Real Madrid at Signal Iduna Park in 2013? He engineered one of the biggest embarrassments to befall Los Blancos in a European competition in the last decade or so.

Real Madrid's pressing scheme goes down the drain when they sit without the ball

Isco isn't a legitimate goal scoring threat; he lacks the pace and relies on his dribbling to get past his man. His shooting is also not comparable to Asensio or Bale.

If Madrid gets one or two good counter opportunitiés which they seem to get these days (see Rafinha in the first leg against Bayern Munich) as the footballing gods are smiling at Zidane's shiny bald head, playing Isco could be detrimental to their cause.

He breaks down a counter-attack way before opponents get a chance to do so. His ball hogging and pointless shooting often end in wasting good opportunities for Los Blancos.

The biggest problem with this formation is Casemiro sits in the half space between the midfield and defence. If you close down his immediate passing options in Ramos, Varane, Kroos, and Modric, you know what happens next.

For all this to happen Klopp has to ask his players to pressure Casemiro when he has the ball and it's a field day from there for his attackers. Klopp had masterfully taken out a player of Xabi Alonso's capability back then, albeit an ageing one.

But Casemiro is no Alonso, he cannot loop in a pinpoint long ball when he's got people hounding him from all four directions. We know it and Klopp knows.

Nothing to take away from the Brazilian; he's a beast at breaking up attacks. But with the ball, he's still a liability.

Another problem for Los Merengues is that with Isco occupying the role of a free-roaming midfielder their pressing becomes disjointed. Seldom have they pressed their opponents well because the team simply does not know when to initiate the press and who takes out who. Any half decent player can break the press with one good pass.

Possible Solution for the Casemiro condition

Enter Mateo Kovacic. Real Madrid have a gem of a player in this young Croatian. He is press resistant like his compatriot Modric and he comes with attacking qualities that no one on this team has to offer.

Taking on players with his pacy, mazy runs, deep from Madrid's half, he's a brilliant ball player and in recent times has shown the pedigree of showing up in big games. With him in the starting lineup, sitting at the base of the midfield, Real Madrid have a four-fold offensive threat from midfield that is hard to contain.

Could Kovacic start?

Either way, this is going to be a fairly open match with both sides getting equal opportunities to prove who's who. Zidane might as well go all in for it with a someone who can run past players for fun.

The only flipside of this solution is that Kovacic is not Casemiro and Casemiro is Casemiro. There is a reason why Zidane has put his faith in the Brazilian throughout his two-and-a-half year-long tenure at the Bernabeu even to the extent of outcasting the star James Rodriguez and sending him packing to Bavaria.

Casemiro can be harried, but he can hound other players like its no one's business. He brings the balance Zidane craves and what Ancelotti used to talk about years ago.

Apparently, he comes with a free deal of not getting any red cards, no matter how horrible a tackle he may put in. That's surely one positive way to look at it.

#2 Formation: Flat 4-4-2

Modric and Kroos will start but will Bale be included?

Players likely to fill up the spots: Asensio, Vazquez/Bale on the wings with Kroos, Modric tucking in the centre.

While it's highly debatable which two of the three aforementioned players will start. It's surely a good formation to line-up in.

The biggest advantage of this system is Los Blancos can double up on the wings to deny Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane any space while Ramos or Varane take care of Roberto Firmino.

This formation provides an added shield on the wings but weakens them in the centre of the park with Kroos-Modric having to put in a double shift to stop James Milner and Jordan Henderson from menacing the Los Blancos defence.

Another big advantage is having the counter-attacking threat from both the wings in form of wonder kid Asensio, tireless bee Vazquez or the Cardiff Express. Marcelo and Carvajal won't have to do the heavy lifting in the offense to create opportunities which can keep them fresh for a longer period of time to tackle the menacing Egyptian.

It's going to be a long night for Marcelo, that's for sure.

Asensio has been quite the forlorn figure these days. No doubt he buried his chance against the mighty Bavarians in a calm fashion but he hasn't been what we have come to expect of him.

He's been isolated and very recently his misplacing of passes and mistimed runs down the left flank with Marcelo had raised alarm bells over whether he has lost his usual sync. He is lacking the fire he had from last season.

Overall it's a good formation to start but Real Madrid relies a bit too much on counter-attack on this one which isn't how Zidane should approach this game. Remember what Bayern did?

Salah is no Thomas Muller or a disgruntled Robert Lewandowski and he will finish his chances. Zidane must be on his toes as this could go both ways.

#3 Formation: 4-3-3 (4-4-2 without the ball)

Will we see BBC start?

Personnel: Bringing the good ol' BBC back, one last time. Shuffle Kovacic for Casemiro to add offensive salt as per your taste.

Let's admit it. This could be the last chance for the once famed Bale-Benzema-Cristiano (aka BBC) to start together and redeem themselves. For all we know, Salah could be on his way to the Bernabeu this summer while Bale heads back to England.

Meanwhile, Benzema could get involved in yet another controversy before Perez loses his patience and banishes his favourite child out of the Madrid capital for his theatrics off the pitch and lack of producing anything scintillating on it. If they're splitting, they might as well play together.

All the sentimental stuff aside, purely on objective terms, this formation is best suited for Real Madrid given the occasion, magnitude of the game, opponent's style of play and highlights of Madrid's strongest suits.

The Gala XI with BBC upfront used to be unbreakable. How times have changed. Bale isn't to be blamed for his injuries. The Welshman has been and is the second best player or maybe the third best player on this squad purely in terms of offensive firepower that he adds - when he is fit.

But that's the problem, half the season he's unfit. Benzema has taken the criticism meted out to him from the fans, the French national coach, and media too much to his heart that he's forgotten how to score goals.

Benzema often offers more than Ronaldo. That's why he stays on the team sheet. It's that simple. He is like the turbocharger Ronaldo needs to get into in his unicorn mode.

No other player is as selfless as him and no other player makes Ronaldo more lethal just by being present on the field. His off-the-ball movement, hold-up play, drawing defenders out of position, passing and quick link ups inside the box and telepathic understanding with Ronaldo are brilliant, to say the least.

In Bale, Real Madrid have a seriously legitimate second goal scoring threat. It helps take the burden off Madrid's talisman. Bale is brilliant on counter-attacks. He is still one of the fastest players.

He can single-handedly finish off a counter-attack and, boy, does he love running past defenders. Bale is a big-game player. In fact, if he's played in his preferred formation as he's still very much capable of, he could carry his side to a win in Kyiv.

Real Madrid have looked their sharpest in this formation, unlike any other. This system brings out the best in all. Maybe that's the reason Zidane used it for one-and-a-half years? Time to revert back to the tried and the tested?

Another argument that can be made is inserting Asensio and Vazquez on either wing while Ronaldo plays as a central striker. It can get the work done, but it is highly doubtful whether they can put in elite performances for a good 70 minutes before getting subbed off.

They don't have the understanding or off-the-ball movement into space quite like Benzema and Bale. Vazquez is brilliant at dribbling and crossing but falls short in the goalscoring department.

If Ronaldo is having an off day or he is shackled by Virgil van Dijk, Los Blancos will be out of their wit and it might be too late before Bale and Benzema are introduced to fix things.

Asensio & Vazquez are also great at running at tired legs, which will most likely be the case unless Jurgen Klopp feeds his player's some miraculous energy drink at the break that restores their energy levels.

BBC has been the key to dismantling sides that try to outfire Los Blancos in terms of offensive firepower. By all means, this tie is going to be an end-to-end affair and Real need the balance that Casemiro brings in snuffing out attacks, while the front three take care of the business on their end.

Who gets the nod from Zidane?

It's very unlikely that Zidane will drop Casemiro and Benzema to try some new recipe when his head is on the line. But then he's Zidane.

He's the only man capable of doing something irrational and as unpredictable as he does and still pulling it off by some sort of miracle. So the remaining four players are fighting for one spot.

Gareth Bale: In a Flat 4-4-2 or 4-3-3

Pros: Legitimate second goalscoring threat. He can single-handedly finish attacks. Best suited for quick attacks. Puts in a great shift defensively. Has a point to prove to Zidane, Perez and to himself. Has a great understanding with Modric.

Cons: Could be demotivated to give his all if he's already thrown the towel in.

Lucas Vazquez: In a Flat 4-4-2 or 4-3-3

Pros: Tireless Work rate. Great dribbling and crossing.

Cons: One notch below Bale. Lacks the sync with other attackers. Seldom scores.

Marco Asensio: In a Flat 4-4-2 or 4-3-3

Will Asensio get to start?

Pros: Wunderkind. Super sub. Serious goal scoring threat

Cons: Relatively inexperienced. Sporadic. Has been inconsistent lately. Doubtful to see him put in 70 minutes or more of elite performance.

Isco: In a 4-4-2 Diamond

Pros: Facilitates possession-based play. Isco's disco. Great at breaking mean and stubborn defensive sides. Provides fluidity in the final third of the pitch.

Cons: Often breaks up the counter-attack by holding onto the ball for too long. Meaningless shooting, often selfish in front of goal only to miscue the chances. Disturbs the structure of the team offensively by dropping in too deep or disjointing a press initiative while defending. Perils of a free-roaming midfielder.

Conclusion

Decisions, decisions!

Los Blancos should start in 4-3-3 with BBC up top and Casemiro as the anchor. Given the opponents and their style of play. It makes sense to have players who have the pedigree and know how to keep their heads about themselves and take the game to Klopp's men.

Liverpool is going to come out of the door with their gegenpress that Klopp is famous for employing from minute 1. It makes sense to have Asensio and Vazquez run at tired legs of Liverpool in the later stages of the game.