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Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg against Real Madrid at Signal Iduna Park on April 24, 2013 in Dortmund, Germany. (Getty Images)
When Borussia Dortmund scored those two goals at the death against Malaga to win 3-2 in the quarterfinals, everyone probably said to themselves that, they could be the ones. ‘Ones’ here, referring to the one Champions League club in almost every season that just seems to lead a charmed existence (which doesn’t mean that they’re bereft of real talent).
Porto needed one moment of magic against Manchester United in 2004 to go on and win the title, Liverpool did that in the final after they found themselves 3-0 down at half-time in Istanbul, and of course Chelsea overturned a 3-1 deficit against Napoli and defended with 10 men against Barcelona to win the Champions League.
Alas, charm can only do as much, and that’s where tactics come into play. So let’s take a look at the tactical preview for the second leg between Real Madrid and Dortmund, and what each team could do to turn the tables in their favour.
Real Madrid
Probable line-up (4-2-3-1): Diego Alves; Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Coentrao; Alonso, Modric; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Tactical Strengths: Arguably one of the strongest counter-attacking sides in Europe, Madrid can break at brilliant speed thanks to their two master dribblers on the flanks, Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are both unstoppable when sprinting at full burst. And with the close control and creative genius of Mesut Ozil to orchestrate attacks in the final third, Madrid can very well pump in goals when the 3 attacking midfielders are on song. The two men in the centre of the park are no pushovers either, Xabi Alonso’s passing prowess is as fine tuned as any Spaniard’s in the national team, constantly clocking 90% plus pass percentages, as well as using the lethal long pass that initiates the devastating counter attacks so crucial to Real’s game.
Tactical Weaknesses: Every tactical weakness in the Madrid side, was essentially exposed by the brilliant Dortmund side which steamrolled Madrid in the second half. The Modric – Alonso (which featured against Dortmund) offers to little in terms of variety and compatibility. The 4-2-3-1 works best with a deep-lying playmaker and a defensive midfielder, i.e. Khedira and Alonso, where Alonso gets more touches of the ball thanks to Khedira’s tackling and chasing down. Against Dortmund, Alonso was at sea, and Modric was invisible, and the ineffectuality actually took centre stage when Alonso and Modric were both caught napping away from centre midfield for Dortmund’s first goal.
The injuries to Arbeloa and Marcelo mean that Sergio Ramos will have to feature on the right, meaning Raphael Varane will play with Pepe who had a disappointing night in Germany, where he was run ragged by Robert Lewandowski all night long. Dortmund can easily take advantage of Real’s defensive frailties to get the vital away goal, which will effectively seal the tie. (Madrid will then need 5 to progress).
Tactical Tweaks: I’m no Jose Mourinho, but well, Jose Mourinho is Jose Mourinho. And the brilliant tactician and motivator that he is, Madrid will almost certainly put in a better performance that the one in the first leg. The 2nd leg will most probably see Khedira replace Modric in the starting line-up, as well as a certain inclusion of Angel Di Maria, who missed the 1st leg. This will also mean the Ozil can once again play behind the lone striker, a role that he finds much joy in, instead of the wide right position where he had to play because of Di Maria’s absence. Another interesting point to note would be Ronaldo vs. Piszczek, as the latter is apparently struggling with an injury for which he’ll undergo surgery come the end of the season. Ronaldo’s inclusion though is also a minor doubt, after he was rested in the Madrid Derby win against Atletico. But if he does play, he will look to find some joy coming up against a struggling Piszczek. A risky tweak would be playing narrow, coupled with a deep defensive line, inviting Dortmund’s fantastic trio to attack, this would allow two purposes:
1) Less space to Robert Lewandowski in the box, who shows time and again the half a yard of space is almost being generous to the Polish international. A narrow defensive line will crowd bodies in the centre, and with Lewandowski the only recognized header of the ball amongst the front 4, open spaces in wide positions will lead to ineffectual crossing, provided Raphael Varane marks Lewandowski like an obsessed stalker.
2) The deep defensive line will leave Dortmund committing men to attack, which will leave spaces down the flanks which could be exploited by the sheer pace of Madrid’s wide men. Of course like mentioned before, Ronaldo would fancy a one on one against a half-fit opponent.
Tactically effective line-up: Diego Alves; Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Coentrao; Alonso, Khedira; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Ronaldo could create havoc with his pace and trickery as Real would look to make a comeback in the second leg in Spain. (Getty Images)
Dortmund
Probable line-up (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller, Schmelzer, Subotic, Hummels, Piszczek, Gundogan, Bender, Gotze, Blaszczykowski, Reus, Lewandowski.
Tactical Strength: Jurgen Klopp has an excellent playing 11 at his disposal, several of whom are already on the radar of various clubs across Europe. A complete forward in Robert Lewandowski gives Dortmund a cutting edge like few other clubs in Europe, and coming up against an opposing team both of whose centre forwards struggling to score, Dortmund will have the advantage. Dortmund’s trinity of attacking midfielders attack with destructive effect, Mario Gotze’s dribbling and incisiveness, Reus’s lung bursting runs and intelligent positioning as well as Kuber Blaszczykowski’s energy levels and wing play offer excellent variety, and with a world class centre forward like Lewandowski in front of them, it can only get better.
Another revelation in Dortmund’s ranks has been Ilkay Gundogan, who has astonished with his dynamic and tireless running which left Alonso and Modric reeling in the 1st leg. Dortmund’s central defensive pairing is extremely compact too, Mats Hummels is Germany’s new defensive stalwart, and Neven Subotic is an excellent centre back with aerial ability to complement a 6’5 frame.
Tactical weaknesses: The main concern would be right back Pisczek’s fitness and competence at dealing with the Ronaldo juggernaut. Also, Madrid’s counter attacks will leave two very tricky customers running at the Dortmund defence, and Subotic will almost definitely come up short against Di Maria and Ronaldo in case of a one on one. Dortmund will have to be careful not to commit too many people forward in a bid to get the vital away goal. Also, if Khedira gets his tackles right, it could mean Alonso getting the ball more often to distribute to the wings which will compel Reus and Blaszczykowski to drop deep, in the process isolating Lewandowski.
Tactical Tweaks: Ilkay Gundogan will probably be the key to Dortmund’s way to keeping Madrid quiet. If Gundogan can hassle Alonso and mark him tightly, it would effectively eliminate almost half of the counter attacks started by a quick pass or a long diagonal ball. Ronaldo isn’t known for his tracking back to help his full backs, which will help Dortmund inflict a double whammy. A usually unpredictable Coentrao will be left without support from Ronaldo against the brilliant Rolls Reus, who is more than capable of slicing up Madrid’s defence like he did earlier in the first leg. Madrid’s defence is also suffering heavily without the notable absences of Marcelo and Arbeloa, which Dortmund’s attack will have one eye on. Klopp can also call upon Sebastian Kohl in place of Bender, if he thinks the captain’s experience can lend a little composure to his side. A very useful reinforcement to have on the bench indeed.
Tactically effective line-up: Weidenfeller; Schmelzer, Subotic, Hummels, Piszczek; Gundogan, Bender; Gotze, Blaszczykowski, Reus; Lewandowski.
