A tactical look at what to expect from Ancelotti's Madrid

For all of Jose Mourinho's bluster and histrionics, he couldn't deliver a Champions League trophy to Madrid. So which other manager has won 2 champions leagues this past decade? Step forth, Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti is as different from Mourinho as can be. A rather modest presence and arguably the most successful coach in European competition this century. This feature endeavours to provide an insight into his tactics and what little we can glean about what to expect at Real Madrid.

The one major difference however when compared to Mourinho is his successful career as a profession footballer. To be a contemporary of Gullit, Baresi, Van Basten and also a favourite of a certain Arrigo Sacchi would indicate a certain level of inherent tactical nous. His goal in Milan's 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in 1989 was indicative of the fantastic ability he possessed. Good at shooting and comfortable in possession.

He started his managerial career in Italy by getting Reggiana promoted to Serie A and moved on to a hugely talented Parma side after. His tactics? a Sachi-esque 4-4-2 with an obsessive penchant for positional discipline.  A runner up place was followed by a fifth place finish. Soon after, he moved to Lippi's rather succesful  Juventus and finished runner up twice. He rather famously missed out the opportunity to sign The Divine Ponytail or Roberto Di Baggio because of his adherence to the system at Parma. At Juventus, however he deployed a 3-4-1-2 that allowed Zidane the freedom that would have been unthinkable in a 4-4-2.

His old club Milan beckoned and in 2001, he took on the mantle there. he began his reign at a disjointed Milan team with a 4-3-2-1 and when criticized publicly by Berlusconi of his defensive nature, he switched to a 4-3-1-2. Strikers in the early part of the decade were still primarily goal poachers rather than all round players who could create a bit too. This criticism is however responsible for the coming to fore of the regista role. Andrea Pirlo was a trequartista for the Italy u-21 side then and was transferred in from Inter where he had failed to break into the first team.

At Brescia, his parent club, he had been deployed in a creative role at the base of midfield because of Di Baggio playing a 10. Ancelotti did the same and the modern regista was born. A deep lying playmaker, providing creativity from the base of midfield. Ancelotti's Milan side is lauded as one of the finest of the decade and it's most notable feature is the CL success in 2003 and 2007, and if Liverpool hadn't come back from the dead, there could have been one more.

This side was arguably a complete reversal from his initial adherence to his system when starting out as a manager. The team managed to pack in three or four gifted playmakers at a time with names such as Kaka, Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa supported by more functional players such as Gattuso and Ambrosini. See the problem? there's no genuine width there. Cafu's tireless running complemented by the occasional drifting out from the midfield or forward players provided whatever smattering of width could be found. Kaka was later pushed up to a striking role with their CL 2007 win standing as the pinnacle of this team. However, despite being probably the best team in European Competition, he managed just one Serie A title at Milan.

His time at Chelsea despite doing the double was fraught with formational experiments from 4-3-3 to a 4-3-1-2 and it could be said that it was a team that relied more on gifted individuals rather than a solid tactical base. Finishing second was enough for him to be fired and nouveau riche PSG beckoned. His PSG team was again a mass of gifted individuals that had to be shoehorned in the same system. To the best of my knowledge, he has employed a 4-3-2-1 and a 4-4-2 most notably in the CL tie against Barcelona.

At Madrid, there is a good chance that he will continue with Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 and adapt as he deems fit. An interesting thing here is to note that the fact that Ancelotti hasn't played in a 4-2-3-1 very often so it will be interesting to see if he finally deploys it. It is known that he had wanted Modric at PSG and he could be expected to take on a more prominent role. At whose expense? Khedira is arguably the most capable of being a midfield enforcer. Alonso is as pure a regista as could be. Also, with the signing of Isco, Ancelotti finds himself surrounded by gifted midfielders. So who does he leave out?

Isco, Ozil, Alonso, Khedira, Modric will all believe that they have chances of making the starting midfield. Ancelotti could however go one step further and introduce a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-2-1. The issues with these formations is that they compromise width. Marcelo/Coentrao and Carvajal/Arbeloa will be tasked with a massive workload. Ronaldo would have to play more centrally though and Angel Di Maria along with Callejon could find themselves having not much of a part to play in such a formation.

The transfer window has just started however and Madrid's pursuit of Bale may well be successful. To fit in Bale and Ronaldo is to play a 4-2-3-1 and Ancelotti may continue with Mourinho's system. If Bale does arrive, Callejon and Di Maria will suffer, again. One important thing to note here is the simple fact that he is a mild mannered, modest manager who is influenced by opinions. Expect Casillas to be handed his starting place back. Also, Ramos's occasional positional indiscipline and impetuousness is something that Ancelotti will not overlook as easily as Mourinho did. Combined with the more explosive Pepe, they both are not sure-fire starters. Varane should continue along with one of the two and expect Raul Albiol to be given a few chances too. Ramos could return to right back but with Arbeloa and Carvajal as competition, it isn't very likely.

I daresay that he will stumble around a bit for his perfect formation and if he doesn't find it quickly, it could be a problem. On the other hand, the midfield mastery that is the hallmark of most of his teams is a welcome attribute in La Liga with the burgeoning numbers of talented Spanish players and incredibly techincal midfields. His calm personality and good relationships with his players could play an important factor. When Ibrahimovic says that Ancelotti is the best he's worked under, you suspect that the prima donnas at Real will agree.

Love, Faith, Character

On its road to revival, the Liverpool Football Club, under the command of its young manager Brendan Rodgers, has seen a slew of impressive performances in the recent past. The club is famous for its pass and move style of football but Rodgers seems to have added a newer dimension to this ominous style of play. And this seems to be clicking at Anfield with a spurt of brilliant goals in the recent past.

But what is still bothering is the inconsistency of the performances. Against teams like Arsenal and Manchester City, Liverpool has dominated major portions of the game and looked like a force to reckon with, while against lesser opponents like Southampton, West Brom and Oldham, they have faltered badly. Let us put into perspective the present dynamics of this great club and look at a few areas that still need improvement. I would state that I am a die-hard Liverpool supporter but I have tried to remain objective in my assessment.

Under the adroit command of Brendan Rodgers, the club has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past season with improvements coming in all departments.  His resilience to impose the Rodgers brand of soccer on the players seems to be finally paying off. His short stint has seen many high earning players at the club being let go if not found fitting into the present footballing structure. Sahin and Cole are prime examples. The new inductees in the form of Sturridge and Coutinho have been a revelation and bolstered a hamstrung side. Overall, his work has silenced his critics and with the club finally heading in a proper direction, he seems to be in it for the long haul.

Tactically the Rodgers style of play predominantly sees the game being developed right down form one goal post to the other. The only problem with this style of play, as was exposed by Stoke City and Southampton in the recent past, is when the forwards start pressing the defenders. This hampers the chances of getting goals upfront and perturbs the defence line leading to many give away goals.

Looking at individual players, the club has never been better poised for European dominance. When at their best, the back four are imperiously stopping the most lethal attacks in the Premier League. Agger has cemented his place in the side as a centre back with brilliant support from the Enrique from the left and Johnson from the right. Add to the mix the experience of Carragher and you are looking at a very good defence line. Both the right and the left backs are fluid when moving up the wings and at the same time quick to drop back when under pressure. Reina has finally found his fitness and his shot stopping abilities to guarantee a safe if not infallible goal.

The midfield is held firm by Gerrard who is at the peak of his prowess with his passing and pin point long balls playing a crucial role in releasing the true abilities of the forwards. Coming back from injury, Lucas has also found himself regularly in the team sheet and he hasn’t disappointed in the defensive midfielder role.  Joe Allen, who has followed Rodgers from Swansea, has established himself as a holding midfielder for the Reds and him in the side gives Gerrard a lot more freedom to move forward. Adding a pinch of creativity and flair is the Brazilian from Inter. In his 5 games he has already provided 2 goals and 2 assists but much more importantly, the sparks of brilliance which will be instrumental for the Club in the near future.

Leading the attack is the 27 old Uruguayan Suarez who has found his footing this season scoring 25 goals in all competitions. His meticulous nature coupled with his speed and sharpness has invigorated the attack which lacked the killer instinct after the departure of Torres. He has singularly taken the team out of tough spots and has been phenomenal in producing brilliant pieces of play. On his left stands Sturridge who seems to have finally arrived at the scene. Having found an able partner in Suarez and the back of a net a few fair times, he is running high on confidence and support from the KOP. Their chemistry will be something to look forward to in the near future probably the complete training session during the break will see them develop better as a pair. The right wing has seen a revelation in the form of Downing. After being criticised by Rodgers publically for his performances, he seems to have put his head down and focus more on his game which has enabled him to earn regular starts. His newly found charisma is much needed in the line-up, adding more attacking options and reducing the pressure on Suarez to generate the goals.

What is also looking promising is the bench strength. Sterling, Wisdom, Henderson, Suso, Shelvey, Jones, Skrtel have all been in good shape and have made decent impacts in the match time they've had. It would be a good idea to send the likes of Sterling in the lower divisions to gain longer periods of play for his overall development. Also it would be good to see some players like Suso and Assiadi given a few more chances in the team to add newer alternatives in attack.  

Things are finally starting to look up again for this historic club. Let’s hope to see them return back to their former best and make a much bigger impact on the English scene. 

Manchester City vs. Manchester United, EPL Matchday 15

Probably the most feverishly anticipated game of the PL season, it was an end  to end contest decided by selection and poor performances rather than any tactical oversights. It was also the perfect chance for City to draw level with United and show that they are here to stay.

Line-ups:

There was a lot of pre match banter between the managers and it somehow seems to have bizarrely influenced Mancini to pick Balotelli over Tevez, which was a risk, to say the least. When you consider that City have won 6 of the 7 games Tevez started with Aguero,  it was an unexpected move. Toure and Barry started in midfield, supported by Nasri and Silva in an almost 4-2-2-2 (open to interpretation).

United lined up in more of a 4-2-3-1 (looking like a  4-4-1-1 at times), with Cleverley alongside Carrick as the holders and a front four of Young, Valencia, RVP and Rooney. As expected, De Gea started in goal.

It was always going to be a battle between City's possession in United's final third and United's strength on the counter and it turned out to be that way.

First Half:

City started well with retention of possession, though rarely doing anything with it. The major issue here was how high the defensive lines on either side would be. Both sides preferred a fairly higher line, the difference was that while Aguero and Balotelli are fairly quick, they were too far up the pitch to lead any counters. Nasri and Silva threatened to put balls in behind Evans and Ferdinand but they never really managed a killer ball.

Yaya Toure, generally a driving force in midfield with his barnstorming runs was nowhere close to his best and struggled to have an impact, with Wayne Rooney doing a fairly decent job on him.

City's high line was a greater risk, simply because United had the wingers to take  advantage. Kompany's substitution for Kolo Toure was again a puzzler from Mancini as Lescott sat on the bench but maybe he didn't want two left footed ones with Nastasic on as well.

The goals:

United had an out ball of their defence, Van Persie chested it to Young who rode on past his full back and put in a good ball to Rooney who miscued a shot in the corner. This goal was a perfect execution of the counter philosophy that United would have had in mind. The defence was exposed as the holders failed to get back and allowed Rooney enough time and space.

The second one was always a possibility as Carrick sought out Valencia whenever he could. Valencia and Rafael had a one two with a final ball to Rooney who strolled into the box unmarked to finish with Barry having been thrown off track by Rafael's run and showing poor positional awareness.

Second half:

City have shown in recent times that they are pretty good at comebacks too. Plus, United's defensive frailties were but, painfully obvious and the fact that City hadn't scored yet was more due to Balotelli's play and Nasri's inability to contribute anything creative. After an ambitious backheel, Mancini had enough and brought on Tevez, a decision 52 minutes late.

Tevez is primarily a busy player and his darting runs form the perfect recipe for drawing players out of position. On one of his runs, he drew both center halves, the full back and a holder and yet managed a shot which was saved. However, due to United's skewed defence, all he had to do was find Toure at the top of the box who rifled home with consummate ease.

Zabaleta made it two with a shot from a set piece, another problem United have been having this season with no one being anywhere close to Zabaleta and Toure. Wonder what impact zonal marking would have had here.

City pressed and probed with United preferring to stick to their countering philosphy. Dzeko came on and a few chances were created but City failed to capitalise.Tevez's foul on Rafael, a completely unnecessary challenge was a classic example of how forward players can cause damage when trying to defend (think Drogba giving away a penalty in Munich). Van Persie stepped up and his free kick was helped considerably by the poor, poor wall constituted by Nasri and co.

Conclusion:

The game was a sad reminder of the fact that English teams have simply neglected the art of defending. Ferguson seems to have the taken the fact that his team lost the title on goal difference as the sole reason while if his team hadn't let Everton fight back to get a 4-4 last season, they'd still be champions. While they may get away with it in the PL, Europe will be less merciful.

Nasri has stagnated and at times, looked completely bereft of creativity and looked a shadow of the player he was at Arsenal. Toure didn't have one of his big games and was passed far too easily by Cleverley and co. Balotelli was again infuriating with his ceding of possession and propensity to play passes that weren't there.

United's defence looks a problem as well. Evans and Ferdinand had some coordination problems courtesy Aguero. Carrick and Cleverley who doesn't really look like a convincing player in that place in front of the back four weren't very good at covering the City midfield and their positional awareness left a lot to be desired. Mancini's decision to start Balotelli and substitute Silva instead of Nasri could be pinpointed as one of the major reasons City slumped to a defeat, despite more attempts and possession.

Despite all this criticism, it was a fairly enjoyable game and one that lived up to its billing. United got their victory and go six points clear. Sadly, the game was marred by one of those events that form the dark, dark underbelly of derby games exposing tribalism so primitive that it was well, disgusting

Chelsea vs Manchester United, EPL match day 9

A clash of two title contenders,this was the type of game that could happen only in the PL.Fast,brutal attacking with little regard to defensive shape and solidity.There were lots of interesting questions before the game with Sir Alex's 'revolutionary' diamond formation and whether Chelsea had the spine of champions or not.

The Lineups:

Chelsea were in Di Matteo's 4-2-3-1 with Luiz and Cahill in the centre of defense, Ramires and Mikel as the holders in Lampard's absence. The front four was as usual Mata,Oscar,Hazard and Torres.

United's shape needed some more figuring out but was probably closest to a 4-1-4-1. There were some surprises as Young was thrust into the lineup which was probably to take advantage of Eden Hazard's lack of tracking back. Carrick was the holder and Cleverley played a role that could almost be called a 'carrilero' which is just Italian for shuttler, an Antonio Nocerino, if you will.

Rooney was further up field and Van Persie was more of a withdrawn striker,almost a false nine rather than one looking to play off through balls.

First Half:

Chelsea were sluggish and caught out by United early on. The main threat was from the flanks and play was spread outward to allow Valencia and Young to be the more important players. For the first goal, Ashley Cole was on the overlap due to Valencia playing a bit more withdrawn role and Rooney had the whole flank to run into.

Even the second goal came when Hazard was high up the pitch and Rafael was allowed to take on Cole along with Valencia's help. Luiz had to come out to help cover,leaving a central defender shaped hole in the box and a goal. Thus, both goals came from the right flank and stemmed from Cole's lack of positional discipline.

Chelsea, to their credit were hardly flustered. They took their time and settled in a rhythm and had greater possession than United in the half.Rooney and Cleverley's dropping deep stifled the creativity of Chelsea's three major attackers and the quick transitions that have been a feature of their play this season were severely lacking. This could also be put down to the absence of a creative player further down, a deep lying play maker as they are called.

Later:

Rooney was forced to play deeper and despite his tenacity,he is simply not a midfielder. His shuttling caused problems for United with his foul leading to a delightful Mata free kick that allowed Chelsea a foothold. Chelsea equalized soon after and it seemed as if they had the measure of United. At this stage however, there was a noticeable attempt by RDM to play it a bit safer. This invited pressure from the wings and Van Persie laid on a through ball for Young after holding it up against Cahill. Ivanovic had no option but to make the tackle and was sent off.

The dynamics of the game was altered with the numerical advantage to United. They started to dominate and with Chicharito's introduction, Matteo switching to a 4 - 4 - 1 and Torres' sending off reduced them to a 4 - 4 - 0 with Bertrand coming on,United limped home to their first victory at the Bridge in a decade.

The refereeing came under a great deal of scrutiny with people claiming that it was the usual referees favour United affair. While Mark Clattenburg may not have had the best of games, he surely has been getting a lot of criticism which seems a trifle excessive. For the offside goal, it was the linesman that made the call, not he. Ivanovic's sending off was never in doubt despite Young's increasingly tiresome tendency to fall to the ground on the slightest contact. The Torres decision was maybe too harsh, yes but but when you look at what Torres did to Cleverley earlier on it could be said that he shouldn't have been there on the pitch when he was actually sent off. There was some contact and Torres felt it and went down. Was the contact too much ? Does mere contact constitute a foul ?There are mistakes and grave ones. Maybe if diving weren't so rife. While the second yellow may have been a bit harsh, it is not hard to understand why Clattenburg did give it. So, both of Torres' yellows weren't probably cardings, he still have been probably sent off. One of those things that you could argue about till the cows come home.

Conclusion:

An open, attacking game where the attention was again hogged by something else. Far more disturbing than refereeing decisions was the inherent defensive frailty apparent in both teams. Carrick was found lacking physically and it is probably not a good idea to field him as a solitary holder. Mikel was poor as well with Van Persie and Rooney finding far too much space between the lines. United showed why their flanks will always be the weapon of choice rather than 'revolutionary' diamond formations.

This game was also a perfect example of why English teams aren't maybe suited to European football with too many gaps at the back and all attacking flair. As Chelsea will tell you, it is defensive solidity that wins you European titles. Whether Alex Ferguson believes he can win a third CL title before his retirement by outscoring everyone he comes across is not for me to judge, but I'd be surprised if European success was achieved on the back of their current defense. Same goes for Chelsea, who have somehow contrived to lose the spirit of their greatest ever triumph.

Both teams could do with an addition to the holding midfield department in January. Chelsea's massive spending towards attacking players and United bolstering their forward line are in a way, sadly indicative of where their priorities lie. What this does with the teams is create a lack of balance. When you have brilliant attackers and an average defense you may win the PL. But against better opposition, these defensive inadequacies may be brutally exposed.

Manchester City 1 : Borussia Dortmund 1, CL Matchday 2

The Group of death, featuring the English, Spanish, German and Dutch champions was witness to another thrilling game between Dortmund and City.

While City would probably have been considered favourites seeing how they haven't lost at the Etihad in recent memory, Dortmund gave a fantastic account of themselves and will feel aggrieved to not have all three points

Lineups:

Fairly predictable from Dortmund with probably their best 11 on the pitch in an almost 4-5-1 but a very attack minded combination of Gotze, Gundogan, Reus and Lewandowski ably supported by Kuba and Bender, Piszcek and Schmelzer as usual provided the width.

City lined up in an almost 4-2-2-2 with Toure and Garcia as the holders, Nastasic was preferred alongside Kompany, Aguero and Dzeko upfront supported by the width of Nasri and Silva .

Opening Stages:

The Dortmund five man midfield worked like a charm as it stopped the diagonal balls to Nasri and Silva, cutting off the creative sources. Their pressing caused City a fair amount of trouble as there was simply too much pressure on Garcia and Toure to play balls forward. Toure in particular found it hard to make his trademark barnstorming runs through the middle because of the compactness of the shape held by Dortmund and their relentless pressing.

Dortmund had three players ready to help out on each flank with Kuba, Goetze and Pisczek on the right pushing back Nasri and Clichy. Pisczek and Schmelzer played fairly high up causing an overload of attacking players with the runners from midfield coming in too. Countering with pace, Dortmund were only denied by Joe Hart.

City were unable to attack and simply found no space between the lines leaving them to hoof it to Dzeko who isn't really the sort of player to play on the shoulder of the last defender and was caught offside far too easily, too many times.

Mancini's tinkering:

Mancini's midfield and attack were cut off from each other and so to link them up, he switched to a 3-4-1-2 bringing on Kolarov for the ineffective Nasri. While certainly a logical decision in this case,it was foiled by the marauding runs of Pisczek and even Schmelzer who ensured that the City wing backs were busy defending instead of coming up with attacking wing play. City continued to have possession but verticality was severely lacking and Dortmund's incessant pressing added to the pressure.

The pressing caused Jack Rodwell to commit an error which was ably capitalised by Reus who was put through on goal and slotted it past Hart. City switched back to the 4-2-2-2 soon after but it hardly made any difference as the City players seemed far too ponderous on the ball and inclined towards playing square passes. Dortmund's high line and speedy midfield runners added to City's troubles as Toure and Rodwell were simply unable to cope with the trickery of Gotze and Co.

A penalty decision that really didn't look like one was the only way City could equalise and Balotelli equalised to ensure City got a very undeserved point.

Conclusion:

Both teams can take very contrasting thoughts from the match.

City had a poor game, partly due to Klopp's careful handling of their threats and also because the players seemed woefully out of place when confronted by the dynamism and vibrancy of Dortmund's play.Kompany no longer seems to project the aura of invincibility that he did last season. Toure was outnumbered and couldn't contribute much.

One wonders why Carlos Tevez didn't start upfront. His directness, mobility and ability to run at defenders would surely have proven helpful against Subotic who isn't the quickest. Also, his drifting outward could have occupied the opposing fullback leaving City less attacks to deal with on that flank.

 Mancini's three man defence is, put plainly, not working. Nastasic may fit the mould, but Kompany has looked a shadow of himself whereas Lescott may not possess the required quality to do so against good European opposition. Mancini’s European nous has been questioned again and while his in game management may not be outstanding, his players deserve almost equal blame in allowing themselves to be overcome by a young and energetic team. They were spared a thrashing majorly due to the fantastic work by Joe Hart.

Dortmund were brilliant and on another night may have won by a four goal margin. The front four were brilliantly cohesive and so in sync with each other that it was a real joy to watch their counterattacking play.

The current Dortmund team are very reminiscent of the Czech Republic team of Euro 2004 that had six or seven very attacking players like Poborsky, Rosicky, Smicer and Nedved who could counter with brutal precision. Gotze, Reus, Gundogan and Lewandowski may not be in that class yet but are getting there very quickly. It will be very interesting to see their game with Real Madrid who have been having midfield creativity problems of their own. Expect Modric's mobility and ease on the ball under pressure to play a very important role,if he does start...