Last night I was watching Villarreal play Real Madrid on TV, and I kept thinking: why the hell does Villarreal keep conceding so much space in midfield? So today I decided to actually draw this stuff out like a madman to see what works best.
How I Started My Mad Tactical Quest
First I grabbed my notebook and drew two basic football fields side by side – one for Villarreal’s setup, one for Real Madrid’s shapes. My dog looked at me like I’d gone crazy when I started flipping between player position screenshots on my phone and sketching lines.
Real Madrid first:
- Carvajal kept running all over like headless chicken – makes sense with Ancelotti playing 4-3-3 but those gaps on right side were killing them
- Tchouameni kept dropping deep so I drew him halfway into defense in my diagram, mad stuff
Then Villarreal side:
- Parejo was practically sitting in defender’s pockets – way too deep
- Their wingers forgot how to track back so Vini Jr. just danced through every damn time
The Messy Analysis Part
After lunch I tried out three different scenarios for each team. Got colored pens involved like some kinda kindergarten project:
- Tried Villarreal in 4-4-2 but their wingers were too lazy to cover spaces
- Real Madrid’s diamond midfield just got ripped apart whenever Valverde pushed up
- Kept circling that left-side black hole where Villarreal kept getting destroyed
Seriously I had papers flying everywhere at this point. My cat jumped on desk and stepped on my “ideal positioning” sketch leaving paw prints on Rodrygo’s position. Guess she thought he should play striker?
What Finally Made Sense
After four hours of this madness:
- Villarreal MUST play with double pivot – throw two guys in front of defense or they’re dead
- Real Madrid’s right side needs serious balance – either Carvajal stops roaming or Valverde babysits him
- Both teams need wingers tracking back or center becomes a damn highway
Now I’m staring at these drawings thinking either I’ve cracked football tactics or wasted my Sunday. Probably both. But hey, next time they play I’m pulling up these sketches and seeing if managers finally figure it out!