Running is for the brave

Ancelotti has found the formula in his roots, molding this Real Madrid with a very Italian idea. Wait, steal and run. In the semifinal of the Super Cup against Barcelona he again displayed his weapons. The whites mounted five counterattacks and took advantage: they generated four shots and scored Valverde’s goal that gave Madrid a pass to the final. After the game, Ancelotti did not hide his intentions: “It is difficult for us to press up. The low block is not very aesthetic, but the quality we have at the top is too important not to enjoy it,” he acknowledged after the game, with some arguments to which He has already resorted to at other times of the season to explain the style with which he has endowed his team.

The mini-crisis prior to the October national team break was a turning point. At the start of the season Ancelotti came from trying modifications in the 4-3-3 with which Zidane triumphed to find a better accommodation for Hazard, Asensio, Isco … The defeats against the Sheriff and Espanyol were characterized by a very proactive Real Madrid, leaning forward and with an overwhelming dominance of possession: 75.66% against the Moldovan champion and 65.53% in Cornellà. According to Opta data, of the first ten games, Madrid played seven of them with a central position; one, the tie against Levante, with high positioning; and two, against Villarreal and Sheriff with very high positioning.

The little hand to Shakhtar in Kiev, already with a low block and the lines closer together, opened Ancelotti’s eyes. The Italian coach recognized him openly on the eve of the league Classic, in which he was going to face a Barça that has made possession its hallmark. “It is easier for us, due to our characteristics, to defend with a low block because it is much more dangerous to counterattack into space with the players we have above,” he said. Carletto three months ago.

The average position of Madrid, in all its actions, in the first ten games of the season was 54.8 meters away from its own goal. In the following 19 he has backed down almost four meters: 50.9. Since Kiev, Madrid have played six games in a very low position and three in a low position, maintaining similar levels of ball possession in the two sections of the season (59.3% versus 60.4%). Madrid’s three setbacks since then (draws against Osasuna and Cádiz and defeat against Getafe) have been in matches with high or very high positioning and a possession of more than 70% by the whites.

Real Madrid have scored six goals this season on counterattack plays. The two (from Alaba and Lucas Vázquez) from the Classic League at the Camp Nou, the first from Vinicius to Levante, the one from Benzema to Espanyol, the one from Karim to Athletic in San Mamés and the one from Valverde in the Super Cup. Ancelotti’s team is the most counter-hitting team in the League, with 21 cons. Also the one that more shots (18) has generated in this situation and the one that has culminated them with more goals (5), tied for the final with Atlético, who also have five goals against.