Alright folks, grab a seat, let me walk you through how I tackled figuring out that Madrid win against Athletic Club. Total grind, but super satisfying in the end.
Setting Up the Mess
First thing, Sunday morning, coffee cold already because I got distracted staring at my blank tactics board. Wanted to understand how Madrid lined up, right? Knew the result, 2-0, good win, but how did they actually do it? Stats only tell half the story.
Fired up the replay – not the whole thing, mind you, just the first 20 mins and the key sequences. My gut said they might have shifted things. Used my trusty notebook – the one with coffee stains – and literally started sketching stick figures for positions. Sounds dumb, maybe, but it works for me.
The Dodgy First Try
My initial scribble? Tried slotting everyone in their usual spots. Modric and Kroos deep, Valverde bombing forward, Vini and Rodrygo hugging the lines. Made sense on paper. Watched the replay again. Nope. Didn’t match. Valverde was way deeper than I expected, almost glued to Tchouameni a lot of the time. Vini kept drifting inside like mad, leaving the left flank wide open. Weird. And Benzema? He wasn’t just chilling upfront; he was running back like crazy, linking stuff.
My setup sucked worse than yesterday’s leftovers. Tore that page right out. Felt messy.
Observing the Real Dance
Okay, back to square one. Focused purely on Athletic Club in possession. Where were the gaps? How did Madrid squeeze them? Saw it then:
- When Athletic tried building from the back, Benzema wasn’t just pressing the center backs; he was cutting off angles to their midfielders like a madman. Super aggressive.
- That left Madrid looking kinda lopsided. Vini floating inside meant Carvajal had the whole right side to himself. Scary! But watch Valverde – dude was sprinting across constantly to cover. Pure diesel engine.
- Tchouameni? Absolute rock. Barely crossed halfway. Him and Rudiger were swallowing up everything Athletic threw down the middle. No air, no space.
Putting the Puzzle Together (Finally!)
The “aha!” moment hit me when I stopped drawing rigid positions. Madrid wasn’t playing dots on a board; they were shapeshifting. Had to show the flow:
- Out of Possession: Benzema leads a mad press. Valverde tucks way in, makes a flat three with Kroos and Tchou. Vini stays high and left-ish, threatening a counter. Defensive block shifts like a big, angry wave.
- In Possession: Watch Kroos. Glides into those little pockets Modric used to own, picks passes. Valverde instantly bursts wide right to give Carvajal support. Benzema drops like a false nine magnet, drags defenders kicking and screaming. Vini slices inside onto his right foot. Pure chaos, but controlled.
Spilled my coffee drawing this! Knocked the mug right over. Typical. But seeing how they used Valverde’s engine to cover both midfield and the flank, how Benzema worked like a mad dog both ways, how Kroos found those spaces… That was the winning sauce. Not magic. Hard work, smarts, and players knowing exactly when to shift. Copying it? Forget it. But understanding it? Pure gold dust.
Guess that’s why they win things. My tactics board looks like a toddler attacked it now. Got it though. Worth the mess. On to the next puzzle!