Champions League Post Mortem: Real Madrid Has One Foot In The Semi-Finals After A 3-0 Victory Over Galatasaray

Match in a sentence

Real Madrid has one foot in the Champions League semi-finals as they cruised past Galatasaray at the Santiago Bernabeu.

 

Analysis

• Jose Mourinho’s men lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Karim Benzema leading the line. Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria played behind him, while Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso protected the back four. Michael Essien started in place of Alvaro Arbeloa as a makeshift right back.

• Fatih Terim decided to line his side up in a 4-3-1-2 diamond with Didier Drogba and Burak Yilmaz upfront. Wesley Sniejder played behind the two strikers, while Hamit Altintop, Selcuk Inan and Felipe Melo made up the midfield.

• It was very brave of Terim to play two strikers away from home, against one of the best teams in Europe, and his side paid for his tactical errors tonight.

• Selcuk Inan and Altintop tucked in the midfield and played narrow, while Sneijder and the two strikers failed to track back. With Terim’s men looking to take the game to Madrid, they left space behind the midfield that players such as Ozil and Ronaldo thrive in – and they did. Ronaldo’s goal was an example of this, as Ozil was able to pick up the ball in between the lines and play in the Portuguese forward, who scored the opening goal. Real Madrid is arguably the best counter attacking side in the world, and with several Galatasaray players going forward they looked comfortable exposing the large amount of space available.

• Xabi Alonso was one of the key men tonight playing long diagonal balls across the pitch and he assisted Madrid’s final goal. Alonso received no pressure when he was on the ball and he cruised through the match, displaying why he’s one of the best midfielders in the world.

• Out of the three Galatasaray players that played under Mourinho, Drogba had the most impact. It was his best Champions League performance since joining the Turkish side, especially compared to the anonymous Yilmaz. Drogba held up the play well, won several aerial duels and came closest to scoring.

• With Altintop and Selçuk İnan playing narrow, there was space for the Madrid fullbacks to attack, and they did so. Essien got forward on several occasions, most of the time unmarked and his cross led to Madrid’s second goal of the night.

• Gokhan Zan replaced Sneijder at half-time, and this was mainly down to his inability to track back, when Madrid had the ball. Zan tucked into the midfield, while Altintop moved in a central position behind the strikers. Madrid was content with sitting in two banks of four, with Ronaldo and Benzema higher up the pitch, looking to break on the counter. That is how Mourinho’s men approached the match and it worked exceptionally well.

• Selçuk İnan completed the most passes in the match, and that was down to Mourinho’s men allowing Galatasaray to have possession. Despite all the possession, Terim’s men were unable to get in behind the Madrid defence, and this is where Sneijder could have been useful. The Turkish side was unable to find that extra bit of quality and an incisive pass to open up the Madrid defence.

• Ozil, Ronaldo and Di Maria completed the most passes in the final third and that was not a surprise based on the amount of space that was free to penetrate, which was a key factor in today’s result. The substitutions made were like for like, and Gonzalo Higuain scoring was the only bit of impact that the substitutes made.

• Terim got his tactics wrong tonight, his side played for an away goal, but they risked getting blitzed on the counter. Had Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue, or Sneijder converted their early chances, then the tie might have ended differently. Unfortunately for Terim, they didn’t take their chances, and they continued to push men forward and paid the consequences. Tactically he failed, and considering United’s success in the previous round, it was a surprise to see Xabi Alonso allowed so much time on the ball. It’s very unlikely Terim’s men will score four goals at home without conceding, but we have seen stranger things in this tournament.

• “Despite all our work and training, we did not expect to concede such goals. You need to minimize mistakes in such games. Real Madrid were the dominant side and I accept that.” – Fatih Terim post-match.

• Madrid pick up their first clean sheet of the tournament, and Mourinho looks certain to become the second manager to reach seven Champions League semi-finals. With Benzema and Higuain picking up form and Madrid possessing a healthy squad, Mourinho’s men look like they might possibly claim their 10^th European title this season.

Three Stars:

• Mesut Ozil
• Xabi Alonso
• Michael Essien