UEFA Super Cup: The tactical trends to look out for

Why Real Madrid’s defence is better than you might think

Considering Real Madrid’s wealth of attacking talent, their defensive discipline can get overlooked.

In taking their 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City to a penalty shootout (which they duly won), Madrid had their defensive capabilities tested to the full. City’s approach forced them deeper as the second leg went on and the Spanish side ended the match with a possession share of 33%.

With Manuel Akanji stepping into midfield alongside Rodri, City were able to pull Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham further back, yet whether in a mid- or a low block, Madrid defended with great discipline.

They maintained this compact shape as they shifted across the pitch, showing excellent positional awareness as they forced City to play around them. “The angles of the wide players and covering of City’s 8s was generally excellent,” said UEFA technical observer Gareth Southgate.

In the second half, Carlo Ancelotti’s men dropped especially deep and packed their penalty box with bodies. “There were some moments of excellent low-block defending by Madrid when City were circulating the ball and they were able to apply pressure without committing fouls or allowing long-range shots,” Southgate added.

As a measure of Madrid’s defensive excellence, City had scored three goals in each of their previous nine matches in the Champions League, yet managed just the one in this 1-1 second-leg draw, despite 33 shots, as their reign as champions came to an end.

Real Madrid restricted Manchester City's attacking capabilities in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finalGetty Images

How Real Madrid defend in a mid-block

If the quarter-final showed the value of Real Madrid’s work in a low block, the first leg of the semi-final away to Bayern München exhibited the effectiveness of their mid-block. In that 2-2 draw, they spent more than a third of their overall time out of possession (38%) defending in a mid-block.

As identified by UEFA’s performance analysis unit, this involved the marking of spaces rather than players, a trend reflected across the Champions League more generally. “When the ball moves, the team moves,” said Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the former Feyenoord and Rangers coach and UEFA technical observer. “If you’re in a mid-block, you are defending the space, so normally you’re very narrow and compact. It is very important to block the lines, especially to the midfield players who are moving in between the defence and midfield lines.”

Madrid looked to shift across zonally before squeezing up the pitch, with their ability to close the angles and force Bayern to play backwards. However, at this elite level, each club has players with the individual quality to get between the lines and the biggest threat to a team defending in a mid-block is usually from opposition runners breaking into space behind. “Especially in the midblock, you concentrate on the balls into the midfield and the long balls behind your defence,” Van Bronckhorst underlined.

Atalanta’s man-to-man defensive strategy

In the 2023/24 Europa League final, Atalanta’s aggressive defensive approach restricted Bayer Leverkusen’s options to build play from the back. Crucially, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side prevented Leverkusen utilising the central midfield pairing of Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios, who are key to connecting their defence and attack.

“Atalanta’s two central midfield players, Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners, were quick to latch onto Xhaka and Palacios,” explained UEFA technical observer Wayne Allison. “It meant it was really difficult for Leverkusen to find their usual passes. Normally, Xhaka has more time and space to play but he wasn’t allowed to. The way Atalanta co-ordinated this part of their defending was done really well.”

Atalanta’s defensive approach was also notable for the physicality it brought. “When Leverkusen pressed they would go close to the player but then sometimes stop,” added Allison. “Atlanta got really close and also competed for the ball.”

Teun Koopmeiners played a key role in pressuring Bayer Leverkusen's midfield during the Europa League finalSportsfile via Getty Images

How Atalanta’s direct play shows short isn’t always best

Although many sides chose to play short from the goalkeeper during build-up play, Atalanta regularly used longer passes.

“There were not many examples of short build-up play from Atalanta,” said UEFA technical observer David James following their 1-1 draw away to Marseille in the semi-final first leg. “Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso kicked long most of the time, especially from goal-kicks. It was effective and the goal they scored came from a long ball from the keeper. The direct style will have pleased Atalanta and helped them avoid issues with Marseille’s press.”

Atalanta registered the longest average pass distance from the goalkeeper at 52m and played just 11% of their goal-kicks to a teammate inside the penalty box. This was the second-lowest percentage in the competition highlights how different build-up strategies can prove effective.

This article is based on the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League technical reports. UEFA’s technical team compile reports for every UEFA competition, which are available free of charge at uefatechnicalreports.com.