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Cristiano Ronaldo came. Cristiano Ronaldo saw. Cristiano Ronaldo conquered. With a magical Ronaldo hattrick, Real Madrid decimated their local rivals 3-0... at times this looked like a throwback to a bygone era when Atleti were a struggling club just climbing out of relegation – the gulf in class on the day was that immense. As lacklustre as their visitors were, Real Madrid were incredibly impressive... and they had their most commanding (and easy on the eyes) display for quite some time. Just as it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s best performance in recent memory.
Here are five main talking points from the game:
1. Isco Disco works his magic
Here’s what Isco’s first half numbers looked like – 42 passes attempted, 42 completed. They were not your standard issue short passes either. He was everywhere as Madrid dominated the first 45, popping up on the wings to support the fullbacks at times, appearing at the head of a midfield diamond at others.
He got cautioned in the second half and got taken off by the hour mark as Zidane reverted to his trusted 4-3-3 formation, but when he was on the pitch, he was arguably the most dangerous of the 22.
A word of appreciation for Asensio, too. What a fine player that lad is, eh? He hugged the touchline as his coach had asked him to and played with a class and composure that belied his inexperience at this grand stage – that run and cross to Lucas Vazquez in the 80th minute (which his fellow sub wasted) epitomising the exciting young talent’s many qualities.
2. Antoine Griezmann too far removed from the play to influence proceedings.
Did he even play this match? I’ve rarely seen Atletico’s most vaunted threat, and La Liga’s hottest player (purely in terms of current form), be as non-existent and have as little to do with the flow of the game as today. He looked stranded on the pitch – not a part of the midfield, not a striker in the true sense of the term. He drifted slightly deeper to try and do something from his favourite trequartista role, but Simeone’s current 4-4-2 allows little leeway for that movement.
As he moved further forward he was bullied - outmuscled and outpaced by the excellent Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. Golden Locks astray, shoulders drooping, Griezmann cut a desolate figure on the same venue where he had nicked in with a last minute equaliser less than a month ago.
As poor as everyone else in a black shirt was today – it’s Griezmann’s performance that will hurt Simeone the most.
3. Has there ever been a better “big-game” player than Cristiano Ronaldo?
My Good Lord, this man.
370 club goals. The Most Ever.
104 Champions League goals. The Most Ever (fun fact, Atletico Madrid have only scored 100 CL goals in their ENTIRE history)
52 Champions League knockout goals. The Most Ever.
13 Champions League semi-final goals. The Most Ever.
21 Madrid Derby goals. The Most Ever.
Even those numbers, though, do the man no justice. He looked untouchable today – the goal was taken with trademark poaching panache, while his movement was exceptional... stretching the Atletico back four to all corners of the pitch. He floated across the front third – at times hugging the right flank, at times the left, while at times he acted as Karim Benzema’s strike partner. He dribbled with pace (a pace that so many of us feared had long ago deserted him) and precision, his flicks and tricks won him space that rarely exists when playing Simeone’s Atletico and his finishing, as ever was sublime. A precision header, an incredible half-volley and a pass into the side of the box. As they would say in the colloquial, WOOF! The best thing, though, his work rate (defensively and in terms of selfless off the ball movement) never dipped.
The man’s 32 years old and he seems to be getting better and better. Forget the flashes of bad form and horrendous football that have littered this season for the Portuguese superstar... when there is a big game on, there is no one on the planet who turns it on quite like Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the very definition of a “big game player”
4. Count Atletico Madrid, and Diego Simeone, out at your peril - as insurmountable as their task looks at the moment.
It was a strangely lacklustre performance from Atletico – a throwback to earlier in the season where at times Los Colchoneros looked disinterested and completely listless. It was, all said and done, the very antithesis of a Diego Simeone performance.
They will not be the same in the second leg. They surely can't be this poor. This defeat, the earlier defeat at the Vicente Calderon (which they thought would be the last derby in that venerable old stadium), the ignominy of being stopped by the same team in three of the last four years, these are not things that Diego Simeone will take lightly.
His side certainly has the quality to trouble any side, and he relishes the challenge of motivating his side when the chips are down when the odds are stacked up high against them, when the whole world thinks they can’t do it. Make no mistake, they are well and truly up against it, and they will need to improve markedly to trouble Real Madrid in the second leg... but a raucous Vicente Calderon and a pumped up Diego Simeone will be there to ensure that Real Madrid don’t get a ticker-tape parade into their third final in four years.
5. Zidane makes the system work around the individual
This Real Madrid squad that Zinedine Zidane has moulded is quite an incredible one. They’ve now scored in 59 consecutive games, and they’ve rarely looked better than they did today.
I had written post the Bayern Munich second leg that Isco’s inclusion in the squad and the subsequent failure of the team’s defensive shape had proved that the system was always going to hold precedence over the individual... but today Zidane bought out his tactical A-game. With Luka Modric and Toni Kroos sitting deeper alongside Carlos Casemiro, he allowed Isco and Ronaldo the freedom of the pitch in the final and the Atleti defence and midfield hadn’t a clue as to what to do. The sheer fluidity of that front three was footballing poetry in motion, and with Carvajal (later, Nacho) and Marcelo making sure no one missed the wide midfielders in the traditional 4-3-3, this was arguably Zidane’s best tactical display till date.
If the ultimate Galactico cannot make the system work around the individual, who can, eh?
On a side note, this is Zinedine ‘freaking’ Zidane we are talking about... how does anyone seriously doubt the man’s footballing intelligence and tactical astuteness?
