In the 2021-2022 La Liga national derby on March 21, I revisited it for five full days until Saturday morning (watching the video repeatedly was really torture). The final conclusion was that Real Madrid exposed all four problems that should not be exposed.
First, after the national derby won the then turbulent Barca in the first leg, Real Madrid was able to break through in La Liga and the Champions League was smooth. However, the old age of the core personnel and the big problem of the disjointed strength of the bench were shelved by the uniform group, and the difficulty of reconstruction increased sharply.
Second, the Champions League eliminated Paris, Real Madrid exhausted the physical strength of all the old players, the coaching staff ignored the fatigue level of Modric and other veterans, including Ancelotti, who seriously lacked the re-understanding of Barca - it turns out that Barca without Messi, in addition to the embarrassment at hand, the reconstruction process is quite smooth.
Third, Ancelotti subjectively does not pay enough attention to Barca's new coach Xavi, whose kneading ability and resilience to reshape tactics are almost no less than Pep Guardiola, and what is missing is time and the test of vicious battles.
Fourth, before the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid faced the most difficult and youngest Chelsea in the future, exposing all the family bottoms, almost imagining how the "three backs" combination of Modric, Tony Kroos and Casemiro would encounter in early April when facing the youth storm composed of Mount, Pulisic, Havertz and others.
Barca, on the other hand, offered five advantages.
First of all, the new coach Harvey's salary tastes guts. He defines the turnaround battle that Barca needs this season too precisely - that is, the away national derby on March 21, to spit out the resentment accumulated for most of the season, and he has finally achieved this goal.
Secondly, Barca's current "semi-bicycle big fa" team building idea is simply not too smooth (who the bicycle big fa originated from, everyone actually understands). This can almost be seen as a big turning point after Laporta regained control of the club - when he did his best work, put the best Messi in the history of the team to Paris, and the reputation was so bad that it was enough to be destroyed. Of course, no one expected that Barca would come back faster than ever.
Third, through the joint efforts of Laporta and Xavi, although Barca is still in debt, the reconstruction is almost complete, especially the explosive effect of the La Masia youth training force, as well as the current team's combat strength and personnel collocation, the three generations of the old, middle and young generations are correctly superimposing their roles, which strongly highlights the helplessness of Real Madrid still eating the old money.
Fourth, Xavi used all the players correctly, giving Guardiola's passing tactics a new lease of life. The symbol of the new life is this national derby, and Real Madrid have done the best in terms of personnel and tactics. The contrast between this and the other is very frightening, and it is not strange for strong teams to explode each other, and what is afraid is to use your decline to set off the rise of mortal enemies.
Fifth, this battle is of great strategic significance to Barca from top to bottom, not only the rational inheritance of technology and tactics, the reshaping of the confidence of a strong team, but also to potential franchisees around the world (whether players or commercial partners) to express their position: the Universe team is still there. The commercial operations of top professional clubs are first-class, and as long as the competitive performance is always guaranteed, commercial operations will soon be back on track.
It is most appropriate to use a screenshot of the game in the first half of the first half to illustrate the success of Barca's overall tactics. When I first watched the live broadcast, I thought that I was only shallow and did not understand Ancelotti's dragon slaying skills, but in the past few days, as I reviewed the game again and again, I finally determined that this defeat was the biggest stun in Ancelotti's coaching career.
In the opening 2 minutes and 41 seconds, both sides were tentative in a faster rhythm of the game, at this time, barca since the showman skill of high pressing, Real Madrid due to the platoon Modric standing front "strange formation", facing Barca's collective grab, only Casemiro and Tony Kroos quickly recovered to ease the pressure on the defender line. Notice the positions where the Barca four are pressing forward, with No. 19 Felan Torres and Tony Kroos on the right of Dembele (not in the red box) slowing down and fast, but standing very reasonably.
Ferran Torres is targeting Militang on courtois' right, dembele is not going for Kroos, he is targeting Nacho, who is making a cameo at left-back. Dembele was given more tactical freedom in this game, and his running rhythm seemed to be outside of Barca's overall passing tactics, such a strange speed-up method was crooked, so that the single-defense Nacho was completely carried away.
Harvey's asymmetrical high-level pressing created according to the actual situation of the team this season has experienced nearly four months of awkwardness and has reaped fruitful fruits in competitions such as the national derby.
It was 13 seconds later, when Real Madrid hit Barca's attack and defense by quickly hitting the thirty-meter area. From this screenshot, you can see that the home team did not line up a positive forward to run after the confusion.
Vinicius and Rodrigo are currently unable to take on all the tactical tasks of real madrid's forward line, and the former's immaturity in this game is undoubtedly evident, and the choice after taking the ball cannot be compared with Benzema. The picture above is that he chose to cut inside after taking the ball, and as a result, Modric and Valverde were all blocked behind him, not knowing how to cooperate with him. Although Rodrigo then managed to transfer the ball to Vinicius, his teammates behind him were unable to carry out an effective tactical run, and the Barca eight quickly returned to defend and put them in place, and the opportunity to go fast was wasted.
Even if there was no starting center, Modric was also promoted to a 4-6-0 front-line no-front, and the result was that the two wingers could not cooperate with Modric, and Modric's fuel tank was quickly burned dry in the first 25 minutes.
It's good that Ancelotti trusts Modric, but what does it mean to ignore that croatian uncle has burned himself out in the Champions League victory over Paris?
Modric, who is in the middle of the field, only needs to run back and forth for about 70 meters under normal conditions, and pushing up the front line means that he has increased the distance of reciprocating runs by 30 meters, which almost kills him. Among Modric's strengths, the drawdown is one, but it certainly does not belong to the forward retracement. And let him take the ball on his back and fight with Chairman Pi and others, which is the length of his own short fight.
The Croatian master's permanent presence in the front line means that the echo of the "three backs" has been completely broken, and Valverde has no way to undertake Modric's tactical tasks in the forward line.
This is real Madrid's biggest winner of this game. Bell, Mariano, Jovic... Any one person who starts and pushes the front line, Modric will not be served by Barca's "young people" in turn. The key is that the attrition of Real Madrid against Paris cannot be adjusted at all in just three or four days.
At 3 minutes and 24 seconds, Barca's players on the field had an abnormal sense of smell, found that Real Madrid's right rib was missing Modric, the thickness of the defense was greatly reduced, and immediately aimed at this piece of fierce pressing, when Valverde position premise, Casemiro faced the high position on the left and right. Then the cascading effect also appeared: Would Kroos come to help? Come to help, he is not good at getting rid of it, the ability to solve problems in a state of confrontation is indeed not good; if he does not come to help, this piece will be exploded...
Therefore, Real Madrid's "three backs" are basically a hair and move the whole body. Coupled with Barca riveting enough to eat their opponents, the gap in the first half of the first half was fully magnified. Barca's on-the-spot response was a success.
Notice that Barca's opening high press is also a tactical temptation, the first high press, testing the defensive strength of Real Madrid's two sides; the second time, when Modric is not in the back position, Real Madrid's right rib resistance is enough.
The third temptation to force the robbery came immediately.
The Croatian uncle saw that the opening style was not right, and I had to retreat myself to organize it, at this time Barca immediately increased the number of troops locally, and the four people pressed for further pressure.
Harvey's game design is very forward-looking. When he served, he did not deal with real Madrid's three backs, and now he has become a manager, naturally aiming at the strongest ring of real Madrid knife - the power of the pig-killing knife of time, Xavi himself has experienced very deeply, and the strongest link of Real Madrid will sooner or later become the biggest hidden link.
When this ring is properly dismantled, the Galactic battleship will become the sword ghost of Barca's new manager.
Ancelotti is standing less than 30 meters away from Modric, and Barca's opening axe is estimated to have surprised him.
Despite all the problems, Dembele's concentration during the game in his health is still enough and very spiritual. When the high press tested the resilience of the opponent's defense, at 5 minutes and 45 seconds, his direct pass immediately came in handy. The former Arsenal captain's running position was just right. The one-sided attack test set the tone, and Barca's consensus from manager to player was unified.
Real Madrid not only can't resist the tug-of-war of the intensity of the game, but the back line is completely irreparable because it has to cooperate with the premise of the forward line, leaving the depth left in the two ribs. If a blockbuster game has the opponent's weakness pierced by himself in the opening 5 minutes, there is no reason not to win.
At 6:04, Real Madrid found that their offensive advance was met with unprecedented resistance. Barca changed from the traditional 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, making a 4-5-1, while the back line premise, wrapped Modric and Rodrigo tightly.
Of course Ancelotti also found out. But it's only been 6 minutes into the opening and he certainly doesn't want to correct mistakes now. However, this five-midfield cutting method is really extremely accurate in terms of pertinence .
First squeeze out Modric's energy in the frontcourt.
Any pertinence has two sides, and it cannot be beneficial and harmless. Real Madrid will not be pushed down by their opponents. At 6 minutes and 25 seconds, when the three lines of the away team were pulled apart, the home team immediately found the space behind Araujo through a direct pass. This free time appeared three times in this game, and then Barca blocked it tightly.
During the counter-attack, Vinicius inverted the triangle pass, the follow-up Valverde pushed the ball was saved by Ter Stegen, and the follow-up Modric did not return. The purpose of the screenshot above is to show that the Barca defender line does not actually have a focus on the quality of people in the return defense. Valverde's shot was perfect, Ter Stegen's save was brilliant, if Valverde could turn that shot into a pass...
It's not impossible, as When Modric crossed Garcia on the 24th, Valverde's ball had not yet reached its top speed. Garcia had already taken his place to death.
No one expected that this was the only good chance in the half of the Real Madrid.
Even more frightening is the away team's defense.
In the 9th minute, Barca hoarded heavy troops and compressed the defensive circle on the right side of their side, that is, on the left side of Real Madrid's key layout, and exaggerated seven people formed two defensive lines, directly separating valverde, Vinicius and other teammates who were pressing forward - especially when Modric withdrew to organize the attack.
This is just the beginning. The visitors' mirrored defensive positions and reappeared nine minutes later. Such a formation is put out, it seems that the entire middle and left road portals are wide open, but the capital of the away team is young and can run, and the "three backs" can only be back-passed and reorganized in the face of such a tight defensive arrangement, and when the ball is obtained, the away team's defensive formation has also changed.
In fact, Rodrigo is too young, and the shortcomings of the running position can not keep up with the running ability during the first half of the home team's advancement have been exposed.
After the test, both sides actually understood how well targeted each other was, and entered the positional warfare stage, and the negative effect of the home team's absence was further amplified by the absence of Benzema. Barca experienced the ups and downs of the first half of the season, learning to be patient and weak. The 5-4-1 change in the retreat process is almost unimaginable. Harvey's tactical discipline and cleverness are magnified.
For example, the screenshot of the game of 9 minutes and 18 seconds, this conservative formation is simply perfect, blocking the possibility of Modric, Valverde and Rodrigo receiving the ball in one breath, and also making Vinicius on the left completely single. The assists to the previous Carvajal were not enough to carry the role of a pivot point.
At this time, I believe that many people should feel bad. As soon as the away team's defensive formation was completed, the signs of disconnection in the home team's midfield were very obvious, and real Madrid's backline had to be preconditioned, and the formation was flattened, laying the groundwork for the next opponent to play again.
Under the above offensive and defensive posture, Rodrigo and Valverde, the youngest and most capable runners, did not retreat deeply. If Benzema starts, he will take the initiative to withdraw to get rid of the opponent's stare, making himself a part of the team that is not cut off, while giving the midfield teammates a signal: don't push hard, rationalize.
In just two and a half minutes, Barca once again found the ribs that Real Madrid had seen due to the flattening of the formation. Previously Dembele played the left rib, now Busquets is playing the right rib. Ferran Torres's back insertion was extremely lethal.
Real Madrid had to pull the defensive line back, which was right in Barca's arms.
Exactly one minute later, the away team pressed for the fourth high position, aiming at Carvajal. Please note that this high pressing is a very accurate case of "card rhythm" in the front court, and the Barca trio has obviously undergone a very tacit training combination.
Why? This is the stage when Real Madrid just started to organize the attack, trying to increase the opponent's running distance by pulling away the width and depth of the field, but Barca's high pressing immediately accelerated and pressed towards the side, not only Did Casemiro, who came to receive the ball, could not turn around, but Carvajal also had difficulty giving the ball to Valverde's feet.
This trick is very, very difficult, like soul torture, and the object of torture is Modric.
"Can't you come back?" If you don't come back, your right side will be crushed and beaten. If you come back, our entire defensive line will be even less burdensome. ”
Unsurprisingly, as soon as Carvajal passed the ball, the ball immediately fell to the side. Damn, it was Professor Bu who got the ball. At this time, Barca successfully completed the defensive turn, in the thirty-meter area of Real Madrid, there is only One defensive point in the middle of the road, in front of Busquets and Dembele, and behind him, the former Arsenal captain, De Jong Jr., Pedri, Ferran Torres is almost in a straight line, all over the middle to the right (real Madrid's defensive side is the right side), of which the first three are completely in an undefended position, and are looking at the tiger.
Can you imagine that it was only 12 minutes and 55 seconds on the opening?
To what extent is real Madrid's entire midfield chaotic: 14 minutes and 33 seconds, the home team without a front line builds a defensive formation in the midfield, and can only be forced by Tony Kroos and Modric to force the Barca defense; unexpectedly, Casemiro and Valverde's defensive ideas are completely different, Chairman Pi's direct pass, De Jong Jr. can take the ball in the open position, and at the same time find that Real Madrid's entire forward line forms a huge defensive vacuum in front of them, which is equivalent to being able to organize an attack directly facing the defender line.
For his teammates not coming forward to defend De Jong Jr., Tony Kroos and Modric complained together.
The dilemma of the Real Madrid defence continues. At 14 minutes and 49 seconds, it was Rodrigo who forced the pi chairman, Modric in place to restrict another centre-back, the 24th Garcia, and the result was that the pi chairman was an easy direct pass, and it was Professor Bu who got the ball.
On the home front line, Casemiro was afraid that the defender line was unprotected and not pressed, and Vinicius and Tony Kroos had de Jong Jr. in the area. It is expected that Professor Bu's position is extremely good, it is better to say that Tony Kroos and Casemiro are particularly embarrassed to stand, and dare not easily rush forward, resulting in Busquets calmly holding the ball, and on his left is Alba, at which time the entire right side of Real Madrid becomes a free corridor.
Not in the shot are Ferran Torres and Carvajal. These two people no longer need to appear in the above picture, and fans who know a little about the current age structure of the two teams can think of the result of their two one-on-one attacks and defenses.
At 18 minutes and 28 seconds, Modric ran to the left to hold the ball, and to cooperate with Tony Kroos, encountered a defensive position, no different from the 9th minute of the game.
The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, "One cannot step into the same river twice." In less than 20 minutes, Barca gave Real Madrid two equally effective defences.
To break such a defense, there are two: the no-ball side contributes a lot of running position, and there is a rapid shift on the ball side. But can Real Madrid do it?
Once Tony Kroos had to retreat to the defensive line to organize the attack, Barca's three lines became 4-4-2, with an orderly retreat. Notice the only pi chairman on the defensive line who presses forward, who defends Modric in the area. Such an offensive and defensive posture is fundamentally a bottomless quagmire, allowing Real Madrid to output physical energy from the beginning.
Six seconds later, Nacho, who had received a cross from Kroos and pushed along the sideline, found vinicius and Modric strangled to death by a five-man circle. Barca switched 5-3-2 during the retreat (which was simply not possible with the previous Cosmos), Felan Torres withdrew to the full-back position, and Rodrigo was confronted by Garcia and Alba's double bag.
The result of not being able to pull the Barca back line is so embarrassing.
The real madrid formation map officially given by La Liga is simply unbearable. On the screen, Casemiro retreated deep into the defensive line, becoming 5-1-4, otherwise it should have been a 4-2-4 formation. Ironically, this formation allows Busquets, De Jong Jr. and Dembele to intersperse freely between the two lines of Real Madrid, and Modric and Tony Kroos, who are at the top of the line, are completely powerless against penetrating direct passes.
Ancelotti stood on the sidelines and watched until he was hit twice in the first half, and then in the second half he replaced Mariano 24 and Camaginga no. 25. The adjustment was extremely aggressive, With Mariano replacing Carvajal, Carmavinga replacing Tony Kroos, and Modric and Valverde forming a forward line, with Casemiro, the only defensive hardness, retiring to centre-back. However, such error correction is already more form than content, and Barca has accelerated and accelerated in both ribs, rushing to the opponent's forward and back lines.
There are very few cases in the Spanish national derby where the direction of the victory or defeat is clearly decided before the first half hour of scoring, and this phenomenon is vividly remembered in the March 21, 2022 calendar. This season's Champions League knockout round is almost a watershed, not only the era of "absolute double pride" has completely ended, but the classic combination of Real Madrid's "three backs" has officially become history.
I don't know how Tuchel, who is super able to learn, will feel when he sees this game.