We are coming to the end of an exciting tournament and the two finalists have been decided. There have been several thrills and spills throughout the season in the Champions League. Some players single-handedly inspired their team to victory while others cost their team dearly.
Both semi-final clashes were close affairs. Atletico took a slender 1-0 lead to Munich but the Bavarians cancelled out their advantage very early in the match. But a mistake in the second half cost Pep Guardiola’s men as they bowed out of the competition.
Real Madrid you could argue were the better team by a small margin in the first leg against Manchester City. In the second leg, the team from England didn’t even show up as Real progressed into the finals after a comfortable 1-0 win.
After some analysis and hard choices here is the best XI of the semi-finals:
GoalKeeper – Jan Oblak
Between the sticks is Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak. Atletico seem to be developing a habit of having fine young goalkeepers in their squad. First, there was David De Gea, who after some fine performances was bought by Manchester United for a handsome fee.
Next Thibaut Courtois joined the ranks on loan from Chelsea and now Oblak is the latest in the trend. The keeper was arguably the best player across the two legs against Bayern. He made several important saves to deny the Bavarian giants at the Allianz arena this week.
The 23-year-old crucially saved Thomas Muller’s penalty in the first half when the Germans were leading 1-0. That stop spurred his team on as the Spanish outfit took advantage of a costly error in the second half to level the scores on the night
Back Four
Left Back – Marcelo
Marcelo had a very good game on Wednesday night against City. The full-back gave defenders a nightmare on the left-hand side as his pace was too hot to handle for City. Normally he is not known for his defending but he helped his side keep clean sheets in both legs.
Centre Back – Sergio Ramos
Joining his Real Madrid teammate at the back is Sergio Ramos. The Los Blancos captain was a rock at the heart of central defence putting in two very commanding performances. Most notably his partnership with Pepe in the second leg was very admirable.
Centre Back – Diego Godin
Over the last few years, Godin has earned a reputation of being a hard tackling, no-nonsense defender. Simeone has made Atletico Madrid an almost impenetrable wall and the foundation of that wall is the Uruguayan defender. Once again he displayed why he’s considered amongst the world’s best by making several crucial interceptions and tackles over the two legs against Bayern.
Right Back – Juanfran
At right back we have the never tiring Juanfran. The Spanish international is one of the most hardworking defenders around and provides quality both going forward and in defence. Ribery’s flair was somewhat stifled in the second leg because of the 31-year-old’s incredible tenacity.
Midfield
Luka Modric
Real Madrid’s attacking trio wouldn’t shine if it wasn’t for the hard-working Luka Modric. The string puller of the Madrid squad was once again at the heart of things in the semi-finals. With the addition of Casemiro to the starting XI, he has been given more freedom to express himself on the pitch by coach Zinedine Zidane.
Saul Niguez
Saul Niguez is only 21 and has already scored one of the goals of the season. His stunner against Bayern in the first leg gave his side the impetus to go and fight for their lead in the second leg. Niguez almost left Atletico a few years back but Simeone saw the talent he possessed and is now reaping the rewards of his faith in him.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso was unfortunately on the losing side in the semi-finals once again as Bayern were knocked out by Atletico. But Alonso produced a brilliant display in the second leg for his side with his inch-perfect passing and vision.
Forwards
Gareth Bale
The first member of the three-man forward line is Gareth Bale. Ronaldo did play the second leg against Manchester City but Bale was easily Madrid’s best player in an attacking sense. Despite a subdued first leg, Bale was Madrid’s main attacking threat and at the Bernabeu, it was his endeavour that got Madrid the goal that decided the tie.
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico might base their tactics on defence but without Griezmann’s goals, they wouldn’t be able to compliment their cleans sheets with wins. The Frenchman has been very impressive and has carried the attacking burden on his shoulders. His goal against Bayern was the one that took Diego Simeone’s side to the finals
Douglas Costa
It would have been wonderful if Douglas Costa could have ended his debut season at Bayern Munich with a Champions League trophy. He has been one of the finds of the season and put in another impressive performance even when he was played in midfield in the second leg against Atletico
Formation
Substitutes: Joe Hart, Arturo Vidal, Robert Lewandowski, Koke, Pepe, Gabi, Toni Kroos
The formation we have chosen for the XI is the modern day 4-3-3. Griezmann leads the line because of his versatility to play both as a striker and a winger. Bale and Costa play the supporting roles providing the width.
Luka Modric is the main attacking midfielder with Saul and Xabi Alonso making up the base of the three-man midfield. Alonso and Niguez are both extremely good at playing the anchoring role but have different styles.
The defence is an all-Madrid affair as three Atletico and two Real players feature.
Do you agree with the XI? Let us know who you would have picked in the comments
So, will it be a repeat of the Champions league final two years ago or will Atletico exact revenge against their crosstown rivals?
