Evaluating the fall of Real Madrid against Cádiz

Unlike Vanderlei Luxembourg 15 years earlier, Zidane did not have a release card from jail on his bench against Cádiz over the weekend. Robinho, the then 21-year-old Brazilian, entered late in the second half at the Ramón Carranza Stadium in southern Spain for one of the most electrifying Real Madrid debuts in recent memory. It took 15 years in a flashforward and a Robinho-like impact to bring Real Madrid’s decrepit front line to life.

In retaliation for the lethargic display, Zidane played his hand and threw four changes at halftime in hopes that his message would be clear. However, it was more of the same for Real Madrid. The lack of movement in the last third was one of the most obvious tactical flaws in Madrid’s game. It was as if concrete blocks were tied to the player’s ankles, allowing Cádiz to keep everything within his field of vision. One way to break a low-eight block is for the team on the ball to provide constant movement off the ball: mixed runs from the baseline shoulder, recycled runs if the ball is missed, and runs that are late. from the center of the field to take up free space resulting from a stretched baseline.

Time and time again, Madrid entered the last third without having a clear idea of ​​where it wanted to go or who was supposed to receive it. Zidane, like many of Europe’s top coaches, has started to implement a system in which the wings fly across the field to occupy what was traditionally the role of a winger and the wingers move to a narrow position within the half space. right and left. This tactical setting places five attack options in defending the opposition. Sometimes wingers and wings swap places, but the general idea is to get five offensive options in front of the opponent’s defensive line. Zidane’s men would get into these positions, but then they would stay there.

In the clip above, Vinicius makes his first run and misses the ball. Then you should immediately seek to recycle your career. The best option would be to free space by circling, back to the left flank. Isco, who seeks to be a short option, is actually obstructing Benzema’s vision and occupying a space that does not provide real support. Instead, the playmaker should start to move between the hole between the two centers. That would free Lucas Vázquez to take a pass from Benzema, draw a defender closer to him and allow Isco to slide in the first half.

And then there is Nacho. Or should we say and then where is Nacho? The right back should be about to burst a lung to climb up the flank and take advantage of all the space on the weak side. That run would either draw the weak side’s attention, stretching Cadiz’s bottom line or leave Nacho wide open at the back post with acres of space.

To be frank, Nacho was an offensive black hole. He was tentative with the ball, played the safe option, and never seemed like he really wanted the ball. His counterpart on the left wing, Marcelo, was not much better. The Brazilian is not on the field because of his defensive prowess. Marcelo is on the field to bring overloads, provide accurate crosses, break a low block with his unique dribbling skills, and provide a wide start. How long has it been since we saw that Marcelo? The Brazilian lost possession 18 times, the most of all on the field Sunday, and produced only two crosses of the team’s 30 crosses. Given how vital wide, dynamic attacking backs are to Zidane’s system, it’s puzzling that no more was done to keep Achraf and Reguilon in place this summer. Those relentless young engines would have exploited the weak side space.

Honestly, Real Madrid couldn’t make it easier for Cádiz on Sunday. In the following sequence, the team owns the ball through the midfield and the baseline for more than 10 seconds. At that moment, all the vertical options – Vázquez, Isco, Vinicius and Marcelo – are static. They are simply running the game:

Cádiz did not have to make difficult decisions. There were no threats. There are no fast races looking to stretch the baseline, no race from Isco pretending like he’s coming in from behind and then switching to drop deep. This was a perfect opportunity for Lucas Vázquez to make a run like Callejón’s and fight inside his fullback’s shoulder to get the ball over the defense. Instead, all four options stopped and walked.

Then there’s the holy grail of static movement in the 57th minute. Kroos receives the ball outside the box. Cádiz is sitting deep with no less than nine players behind the ball. Kroos has seven Real Madrid players around the area, but no player has a career that threatens Cádiz’s rear.

Kroos pretends like he’s going to sting him multiple times, but no Real Madrid player makes a run. While faking the chip, he seems to put his hands up and say, “What am I supposed to do?” If there was a moment that could encapsulate the entire match, it was exactly that. The number of examples available in this match of players just standing is nauseating.

This is not the first time that Real Madrid have encountered a deep defensive block and it certainly will not be the last. It has been reiterated in countless columns, podcasts and round tables that Real Madrid’s offensive game needs to evolve if it wants to compete for every title this season. Most La Liga teams have become much more pragmatic in their approach to the game in recent years. Last season with 8-2 ​​victories for Real Madrid and Barcelona will be few and far between. Play patterns, exchanges, understanding the mechanics of time and space, and using off-the-ball movement to not only create space for an individual player, but multiple teammates, will be vital to unlocking those deep blocks. The effort made on Sunday night was criminal and the players on the field are from the elite; They should have recognized the obvious problems in the final third. Wednesday offers another opportunity for Madrid to restart the course and do things right for the rest of the season.