The best defense is a good offense and Madrid applied the proverb against Shakhtar. Ancelotti slipped after the tie against Osasuna that the pressure failed. Against the Ukrainians, the pressure was the shuttle of danger. With Modric on the bench and Ceballos in the infirmary, Valverde returned to the engine room to make room for Rodrygo. A 4-3-3 on paper, because on the pitch at the Bernabéu it was something else. “A 4-4-2″ said Carletto in the press room. A 4-2-3-1 at times. A solution for both to cohabit in a supersonic and suffocating eleven that left Jovicevic’s men breathless in the first half.
the falcon flew down a right wing that has become his favorite nest and Lightning gave a recital of intelligent movements as a second striker, in addition to adding a little more to his account (there are already four) and attending came at 2-0. The overall result? 36 shots, 14 of them on goal and a trickle of chances that he converts the final 2-1 in a meager result. “His position has changed a bit, we have thought about putting more pressure on the central defenders and he was more inside. He combines very well with Karim, with his quality he can play anywhere”, Ancelotti analyzed the role of the player from Osasco. While the one from Montevideo was the field player who generated the most chances (7).
Statistics approve the experiment
The experiment, leaving Tchouameni and Kroos as supports behind Vinicius, Benzema, Rodrygo and Valverde, who had fun and made the crowd have fun with a fiery and combinative football, caused a constant presence in the Trubin area. 25 shots and 60 interventions inside the rival area, for Shakhtar’s 6 and 8; 278 passes in the last third of the field against the 49 of the miners. The aim missed. “There are days like this, when the ball doesn’t want to go in, it was a game to win 7-1”, Toni Kroos lamented in the flash-interview. The German was right and the ‘expected goals’ statistic, expected goals according to the position of the shots on goal, is largely given to him: the whites should have scored 3.55 points, the Ukrainians 0.70. A difference of 3.85 points more in line with what was exposed on the pitch.
Enlarge
In the preview of the Champions League final, the man from Reggiolo confirmed that he would bet on a “4-3-3″ in Paris, his favorite drawing so far. Although he continued: “Sometimes it can happen to a 4-4-2 ″. A speech that is very strong now, with the bet against Shakhtar. The heat maps of Valverde (left) and Rodrygo (right) are the best proof of this. Against Liverpool, the man from Osasco could still ‘assume’ the substitution and be number 12. Instead, the context has changed.
If the Champions League final were tomorrow, Would Rodrygo be in his gala team?, asked this newspaper last Saturday. Ancelotti’s response, direct and sincere: “Yes”. With Modric back and Kroos and Tchouameni immovable, it is fanciful to think that this alternative will prevail perennially, but It is a variant more than real. Especially for the performance of the ’15’ and ’21’, who now it is difficult to imagine outside the eleven. Ancelotti will have to make bobbin lace. Holy problem.