Real Madrid discover multiple defects in Juve’s tactics

Posted Tuesday, May 30, 2017 by 101 GREAT GOALS

Real Madrid v Juventus

In less then a week the biggest match in world club football takes place in Cardiff, Wales, as Real Madrid take on Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final.

Los Blancos have already won the Spanish league title, while they are on the verge of making UCL history becoming the first team to win the Champions League in back to back seasons.

But before they put their hands on the trophy, they have to score past Juventus. The Italians recently went on a eight-and-a-half run without conceding in the UCL.

Max Allegri’s side are also on the verge of making history, as the Turin giants could secure a magical treble in Wales having already won Serie A (for a sixth straight season) and the Coppa Italia.

Zidane’s secret weapon

Spanish paper ABC have an interesting report on Sunday revealing how Zinedine Zidane is preparing to win his second Champions League trophy in a row.

The French manager has delegated responsibility amongst his coaches to prepare for the game, with Luis Llopis, who joined Real Madrid in 2015, instructed to find out Juve’s defects in their tactical game.

Luis Llopis, who is principally a goalie coach while he’s also dubbed a “video tactical guru” by ABC, has reportedly accomplished this project by watching “dozens of videos” for hours on end.

Most importantly, ABC believe Llopis has “found the defects to the enemy”.

So what are they?

ABC have revealed the six points Luis Llopis has discovered for how Real Madrid can beat Juventus in the final.

1) Individualize the back three – Juve’s BBC is often considered impregnable, but Real believe they can be exploited if their strikers play within five meters of each other. Crucially, the Juve defence is described as “slow” who can be undone by high-tempo football and quick transitions at full speed.

2) Single out Barzagli – Madrid believe that 36-year-old Andrea Barzagli is the weak link in the BBC. Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo will all be encouraged to take on the defender in 1 v 1s. Should Dani Alves get dragged into backing up Barzagli, the onus will be on Toni Kroos to exploit the gaps.

3) Triangles around Bonucci – Deemed the “strongest” Juve defender, Real’s best chance of getting past him is by playing around him.

4) Combinations on Chiellini – Dani Carvajal, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric will be focused on trying to prise an error from Juve’s left-sided centre-half.

5) Possession without taking risks – Real believe Juve will be setup to defend, frustrate Madrid and the Italians will look to exploit errors. That’s forced Zidane into making sure his players don’t lose heart and focus. Real’s plauyers are focused on remaining calm and patient.

6) Ramos, decoy & the front post – Juventus don’t have many drawbacks in the air, but Madrid think they’ve found something. They believe that Sergio Ramos will have two men on him for all set-plays, and Real can use that to their advantage. Either Ramos will be used to make decoy runs, or he’ll be targetted for flick-ons in the mixer which aim to cause havoc.