In his post-match interview in Manchester after Real Madrid won at the Etihad, Alvaro Arbeloa stated: “I don’t think it has been anything different from what I’ve been doing these past two months, which is working and trying to get the best performance out of my players, ensuring they feel comfortable on the pitch, finding the best position for each one, being a very balanced and united team, and having everyone sacrifice and work together.”
Finding the best position for each player and being a balanced team might be the secret for Alvaro Arbeloa against Pep Guardiola. The current state of Real Madrid, with injuries hindering the team, might be a blessing in disguise. The balance is a result of players complementing one another and filling different roles that serve the team as a group.
Out of possession, Real Madrid defended as a solid unit, in which sacrifice and integrity prevailed. In possession, Arbeloa utilized his players as follows. Brahim Diaz acted as a false nine, having the license to roam and overload the Citizens in midfield. The same can be said for Valverde, plus his ability to run and attack the spaces behind appeared essential to qualifying for the next round. Vinicius Junior tended to attack depth and pin the backline.
Seconds before Real Madrid’s first goal, Manchester City funnelled the play toward the flanks:
In possession, Alvaro Arbeloa tasked his midfielders (Arda Güler and Thiago Pitarch) to act as situational fullbacks behind the ball to take advantage of the quality of their passes to break Manchester City’s lines.
In this sequence, Real Madrid opts for going backward:
Los Blancos have numerical superiority in the buildup line. So they can work the ball back to the left side. All this preparation aims to allow the ball holder time and space to progress. Near the flanks, Real Madrid generates a three - vs - two situation as Brahim Diaz joins the ball side.
Meanwhile, Valverde operates in midfield to overload the Citizens. At the backline, Vinicius Junior pins Khusanov, whereas Fran Garcia sprints behind, catching Bernardo Silva’s attention and dragging him backward.
As he finds Valverde, Brahim Diaz tucks inside to draw Matheus Nunes with him and vacates the space for Valverde to carry the ball forward. The latter releases Vinicius, who scampers upward, cuts in, and curls the ball into the far post. Brahim Diaz collects the rebound and clips it toward the far post zone for Vinicius Junior to smash the ball into Bernardo Silva’s hands. The referee awards a penalty kick to Real Madrid and sends Silva off.
After that event, Real Madrid took advantage of City playing with one man down. It became a numbers game.
In this scene, Manchester City reloads their high press. Behind the first line of pressure, Courtois spots the free Tchouaméni who bounces the pass off to another free player in Huijsen:
Real Madrid yields a two vs one situation for Huijsen to pick out Arda Güler:
In the meantime, Fran Garcia attacks depth for the Turkish midfielder to prod the ball behind Manchester City’s backline. Khusanov’s pace enables him to recover quickly and prevent Real Madrid’s left-back from facing the goalkeeper:
Dean Huijsen and Antonio Rudiger split wide alongside Courtois with the double pivots operating in close proximity. The telos was to expand the distance between City’s front players and Real Madrid’s center-backs.
In this scene, Huijsen has space and time, as Rodri must cover the large distance between Tchouaméni and the Spanish center-back. Similar things occur with Fran Garcia and Matheus Nunes. As a consequence, Real Madrid works the ball down the flanks. Fran Garcia feeds Vinicius Junior, who dummies his movement, deceiving Khusanov and letting the ball roll into Arda Güler:
The first minute of the second half saw Dean Huijsen fake his intentions to bait Jeremy Doku forward and access the free man in Thiago Pitarch:
The latter spots Brahim Diaz coming short. The Moroccan skips past Marc Guehi and releases Vinicius Junior behind the defensive line. Again, Khusanov’s recovery run bails the Citizens out of trouble.
Baiting Manchester City forward and exploiting their hybrid press weaknesses was the main feature for Real Madrid.
For instance, Pep Guardiola’s side jumps with five players high up the pitch. Semenyo has to cover a large distance before arriving near Arda Güler. The latter has time to break City’s high press. With Vinicius Junior, Fran Garcia, and Valverde pushing the backline rearward, Brahim Diaz receives Güler’s pass on an island and gallops the length of the pitch to settle on City’s defensive third.
When Arbeloa brought in Manuel Angel and Eduardo Camavinga, nothing had changed. Real Madrid kept enticing City forward, generating the free man inside and working the ball through.
Here, Mbappé is tasked with a similar role to Brahim Diaz. He drops in between the lines and drags City’s midfielder, Nico Gonzalez, across:
Resultantly, Tchouaméni can carry down the center, whereas Vinicius Junior pushes the backline toward the goal. Arnold tends to get in behind; however, Marc Guehi cuts off Tchouaméni’s pass:
In settled possession, Real Madrid’s fullbacks stretched the width of the pitch, while the others were packing in the center. Arbeloa’s side was able to cut through Manchester City like a hot knife through butter.
Here, Huijsen entices Rodri to jump out. As a result, Reijnders is left against Tchouaméni and Pitarch. Huijsen slides the ball to the former.
Between the lines, Arda Güler roams alone, providing himself as a passing option for Tchouaméni.
The pair breaks down City’s midfield line via a one-two combination. In the meantime, Brahim Diaz and Alexander-Arnold are on a free road on the right to attack the box; however, Tchouaméni opts for firing a shot from distance:
As aforementioned, Arbeloa relied on Arda Güler as a situational left-back to capitalize on his deep playmaking ability and set up runners behind Manchester City’s high line.
Here, Brahim Diaz and Federico Valverde pin Marc Guehi and Nathan Aké. The Moroccan pulls out Guehi, with Fran Garcia drawing Khusanov’s attention. Consequently, Vinicius Junior is able to embark on a sprint behind. Donnarumma’s early step-out stops Vinicius from getting into a goal-scoring position.
Real Madrid deserved their win and qualification against Manchester City. Their next opponent in the Champions League is Bayern Munich. The challenge will be much harder, and the stakes will be high. Nonetheless, the formula is clear, and Arbeloa highlights what’s required for the upcoming tests: “The Champions League is special for Real Madrid, and we’ve faced one of the best in Europe. And then Bayern and perhaps PSG later. If we want to win them, we have to play like tonight and as we did six days ago.”