When the two best ideologies in football meet —positional and functional play — an electrifying spectacle ensues, captivating the world’s attention.

Following an exhilarating encounter in last year’s semi-final, Real Madrid and Manchester City once again clashed in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals at the iconic Bernabéu stadium.

The match, which came out completely equal, with a score of 1-1, awaits the second leg in Manchester next Wednesday.

This tactical analysis delves deep into the tactics of the intense battle, analysing how Real Madrid’s transitional prowess and the absence of Nathan Aké forced Pep to adapt and why the Catalan lowered his progression tempo more than recently.

Lineups

Expert Carlo Ancelotti opted for his customary 4-3-3 formation.

Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Toni Kroos, Modric, Valverde; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

In contrast, the astute strategist Pep Guardiola elected to deploy a 4-4-2 formation on paper, with its difference in the different phases of play.

Man City XI: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji; John Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ikay Gundogan, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.

Adapting to Real Madrid

In a recent development, the influence of Roberto De Zerbi on English football prompted Pep Guardiola to make adjustments to his tactical principles. One notable change was seen in the deeper build-up phase, where Guardiola shifted from a 4-1 deeper setup (excluding the goalkeeper) to a 4-2 that involved Ederson as a key element which made it difficult to try to press his team from this point due to the numerical superiority of +2 in that area and the potential numerical and positional superiorities higher up, particularly with De Bruyne and Gundogan occupying half-spaces (like the first-leg against Bayern Munich).

However, in the match against Real Madrid, Guardiola opted for a deeper 4-2 build-up shape without Ederson. — this decision could have been to minimise risks during a crucial stage of the tournament against a formidable opponent.

Instead of being higher up, Gundogan dropped deeper alongside Rodri, while De Bruyne assumed a roaming role. Meanwhile, the trio of Bernardo, Grealish, and Haaland pinned Real Madrid’s defensive line.

On the other hand, Benzema was ready to press both centre-backs, while Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo applied angled pressure to block passing lanes to the fullbacks. Toni Kroos, Modric, and Valverde took on a man-to-man marking approach against Man City’s midfielders.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

It was in the same previous scene that Man City produced their first dangerous chance.

Dani Carvajal was ready to jump to press on Akanji if he was reached with a third-man combination, but he retreated due to Grealish’s positioning and the proximity of both Real Madrid’s centre-backs from Haaland, so Rodrygo continued the press.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Valverde immediately left Rodri to move to Akanji quickly. Then, once the ball stuck there, Modric decided to press Rodri and Benzema towards Ederson (trap — 4 vs 3) which forced Man City’s goalkeeper to play a long ball for Haaland, which Rudiger won, but De Bruyne’s roaming position helped him win the second ball due to bad tracking from Kroos.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis
Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

The attack finished with a low shot that curled towards the post and was blocked by the brilliant Courtois.

While De Bruyne occupied a higher position on the right side, there were instances where Haaland would drop off deeper to create a +1 on the reverse side. However, Rudiger effectively tracked Haaland’s movements, limiting the effectiveness of his drops.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Therefore, in this deeper phase, the Meringues also had a dangerous chance because of their players’ sharpness during the pressure. Here below, after a dangerous switch from Ruben Dias to Walker, Rodri received the ball.

However, Vinicius Jr. managed to catch the ball, initiating the counterattack from a dangerous area.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

He then delivered a swiftly driven cross towards Benzema who moved well. However, Ruben Dias made a clever defensive move and thwarted the chance with a well-timed, intercepted slide tackle.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis
Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

In an attempt to exploit the space in the left half-space, Man City also tried to exploit it in a different intuitive way from Haaland’s dropping.

Here, after luring Real Madrid’s players to the right by engaging in multiple third-man combinations, Akanji made an excellent run to free himself from Rodrygo’s shadow and found ample space to receive the ball.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

The ball was sent to Grealish, but Carvajal made a good tactical foul — repeatedly he made those fouls with Grealish.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

It can be said that not only caution but the changes in the backline (Walker for Ake, therefore Akanji left) also affected the dynamics of the team in the progression and final third phases, as it did in the previous phase.

Indeed, it can be argued that both caution and changes in the backline had an impact on the team’s dynamics in both the progression and final third phases, as it did in the previous phase.

“He (Kyle Walker) has played as a full-back coming inside in the past with four in the back with Joao (Cancelo) or Aleks (Zinchenko) in that position and Kyle has done it really well, but with this shape of three in the back and two in the middle, he cannot do it” — Pep Guardiola said earlier this season.

Of course, things in football usually have multiple faces. In this case, Walker’s (known for his pace) confrontation with Real Madrid’s attacking transitions in general and especially Vinicius comparatively are better for Man City than confronting them with Akanji on the right side.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Differences in the 3-2-2-3

Higher up during the progression phase, Pep employed his recent 3-2-2-3 setup, while Real Madrid often were in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 mid-block with their wingers positioned a little inside. Kroos and Valverde were instructed to mark City’s ’10s’ (KdB and Gundogan) man-to-man, while Modric was higher to press the defensive midfielder.

Ancelotti also instructed his centre-backs to closely mark Haaland — Alaba and Rudiger did a superb job against the Norwegian which created a large area in both half-spaces for City to exploit, with Grealish and Bernardo stretching the field.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Although the positioning of the Real Madrid centre-backs was risky (particularly in front of Man City) and these spaces (half-spaces) are what Pep always wanted to exploit, it was clear, contrary to his recent selections, City reduced that risk of being in the Y-axis more than the X-axis often to preserve the ball more.

Indeed, the positioning of the Real Madrid centre-backs (their proximity to Haaland) carried a certain level of risk, especially considering Man City’s ability to exploit the half-spaces which is what Pep always desires as the half-spaces are the less congested.

However, contrary to their recent approach of quickly accessing these spaces by increasing the progression tempo, Man City seemed to prioritise reducing the risk of losing the ball by maintaining a more cautious seeking of the X-axis (horizontal axis) rather than the Y-axis (vertical axis). He wanted his side to preserve the possession due to the fear of losing the ball which would mean more and more Real Madrid transitions.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

“It is so demanding. They are so good. They have experience and quality but now we travel to Manchester hopefully we can learn to defend better and attack better”, said Pep Guardiola after the game. Surely Man City will be more vertical during the attack at the Etihad.

But generally, with variations depending on the situation, one of Kroos and Valverde often dropped to half-spaces to provide coverage and support like the below graphic, while the centre-backs maintained close proximity to Haaland.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

The presence of Kyle Walker as a third defender in Manchester City’s 3-2-2-3 possession shape had a notable impact on their overall dynamics.

Walker often overlapped, effectively transitioning the team into their more regular 4-3-3. This overlapping movement allowed Walker to reduce his presence in the team’s depth during the progression phase. Furthermore, Walker’s defensive capabilities, particularly his pace, helped in the defensive transitions.

Additionally, Ilkay Gundogan constantly dropped into deeper areas during the build-up and also frequently dropped as the +1 in the second line in the progression phase kept him away from the high position of the half-spaces.

Here in the below graphic, Gundogan got involved deeper in the box-midfield, while De Bruyne moved higher into the left half-space. He was followed by Kroos which allowed Stones to advance inside on the right.

Gundogan by a long ball isolated Bernardo Silva with Camavinga (potentially 2v1 due to Stones’ move)…

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Here, Bernardo Silva has the ball. Instead of playing the usual pass (yellow colour) in the half-space to Stones due to bad covering from Modric and Kroos, he decided to return and resume the possession instead of taking any risks, as he played back to Gundogan.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Real Madrid dropped immediately into a 4-5-1 low block. Gundogan then played a long ball to the overlapping Kyle Walker in space.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Camavinga brilliantly cut the ball there after Walker’s poor first touch and started the transition.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

The Frenchman had one of his best defensive matches as a left-back that night against one of the best wingers in the world in Bernardo Silva.

Bernardo Silva’s performance in the match was insufficient compared even to his previous away game against Bayern Munich in Germany.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Camavinga’s impact on the game extended beyond his defensive prowess. He played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s goal, showcasing his offensive abilities and exceptional skill in evading pressure with his ability to navigate through opponents and make progressive runs over long distances.

After an excellent one-two in tight space, Modric flicks it to Camavinga who drives inwards and plays to Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian launched a powerful strike that opened the scoring.

Real Madrid scored this goal after attempting just one shot in the first half of a Champions League game for the first time since at least the 2003/04 season, as per Opta.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis
Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis
Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

This was exactly the opposite of the direction of play that Pep highlighted best after the game when he said: “When we were better, they scored, when they were better we scored. It was a tight, tight game.”

Madrid’s functional play still on

From a different perspective on football other than the positional play, Napoli and Real Madrid’s approaches are intuitive (functional play, also known as relationism).

In functional play, space is seen as a dynamic and constantly evolving entity, shaped by the complex interactions of the players on the field. In this approach, player positioning becomes more fluid and flexible, with less emphasis on predetermined collective structures.

The core concept of functional play is to create emergent patterns that arise naturally from the individual actions and decisions of players, rather than relying on predetermined patterns or systems. So, it’s a lack of patterns, essentially.

In the second half, Real Madrid showcased their characteristic dynamism right from the beginning. The proximity between players was much closer with an increase in emergent movements.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Usually, positional play teams don’t exist in this form below, as Real Madrid create 6 vs 3 in the red area and no one in the black area is predetermined.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

In this proximity, Real Madrid usually tend to become asymmetrical and emergent, and the tendency is to concentrate on the left side more than the right. Here, one of Rodrygo (often) or Carvajal became a roamer to engage the right side mechanism.

In the first chance for Real Madrid in the second half, the players’ intuitive movements created spaces, allowing Vinicius Jr. to play a pass to Benzema. Meanwhile, Carvajal made an inside movement.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Here, he engages well and flicks the ball brilliantly to Benzema who shoots.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis
Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

This difference in playing styles can be seen for example in the heatmap of the right wing of each team over the course of the season for Rodrygo and Mahrez.

Indeed, comparing the heat map of the right-wingers, Rodrygo from Real Madrid and Mahrez from Manchester City, highlights the contrasting playing styles and tendencies of the two teams. While Rodrygo in Real Madrid’s functional approach is roaming, Mahrez in Pep’s positional play hugs the touchline.

Champions League 2022/23: Real Madrid vs Man City - tactical analysis

Let’s return for a moment to Camavinga, who not only affected the goal of his team but also the goal of Man City. Below, after regaining the ball, he plays to Rodrygo but the pass is cut out by Rodri.

Immediately after that, from around 23 meters, Kevin De Bruyne slices a ferocious shot into the bottom corner of the goal, silencing the stadium.

Conclusion

The world eagerly anticipates the second leg, filled with great anticipation and excitement.

This tactical analysis showed how Real Madrid affected the most powerful coach in the world.

Of course at the Etihad, Man City will be sharper, so let us see what will happen there.