The Real Madrid UCL Dominance (2013-2022)

Real Madrid has the perfect 4-1-2-3 formation that has guided them to five Champions League titles in the last 9 years. As much as it feels like it, this is not just happenstance. 

Everything changed for the club after the 12-13 season of the UCL, the year that Bayern Munich won their fifth Champions League title by defeating their arch rivals BVB Dortmund. The years before that, it were the PL clubs and Real's ultimate league rival FC Barcelona who dominated the UCL more prominently. The Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich were there as well, intimidating the league by qualifying for three finals in four years. Real was led by the great Jose Mourinho that year, the same stupendous mind who had won the UCL with Porto. Real Madrid lost the semi finals to the Yellow Giants of Bundesliga, thrashed heavily by their rising star Lewandowski. However, the next season, Carlo Ancelotti stepped in as the coach of the Los Blancos and helped them go on to win the Copa Del Ray and the prestigious UEFA Champions League title. As far as the La Liga is concerned, Real only finished third. One of the two GOATs we have witnessed since, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored a total of 51 goals across all competitions and was their top scorer, that year. 

The tactical positioning was given immunity in a formation that became unbreakable for another decade. The goal was then defended by their leader, Iker Casillas. The defence was a perfect combination of Pepe and Sergio Ramos, who together were nothing but a rigid, impervious wall. Marcelo and Carvajal were the two full backs, however in rotation with Fabio Coentrao. Raphael Varane was a brilliant substitute option for the CB position allongside Nacho. Marcelo aided to Cristiano in the LW position and often tended to pursue the attack when his team had the ball, playing more frequently as a LWB rather than a LB. The midfield with Xabi Alonso, Casemiro and Modric, with Casemiro trying to conquer that CDM position while also uplifting him sometimes into a CM, maintaining a balance of 4-1-2-3 and 4-3-3 throughout the game, was essential to Real Madrid's style of play. Both Alonso and Modric were aesthetic playmakers. CR7, Benzema and Bale (BBC) were the initial trio to fill in the roles up front. While Bale was still adjusting to the system, it was the Argentine forward Angel Di Maria who was used up sporadically in that RW position. Isco was a crucial option in that left attacking midfield position, aiding to the midfield and the attack respectively, whenever needed. 

Their basic play was oriented about the midfield and the idea, irrespective of strategic influence, was to pass into the strike from either wing via a winger or perhaps, the full back. The midfield strategy was solid, that oriented about the CMs and the CDM playing touches with the descending forwards or the upheaving defence, in whatever situation. The likeness of players like James Rodriguez and Chicarito, and later Asensio and Isco were very feasible in this threshold, while they got quite fewer chances as compared to the usual Kroos, Modric and Casemiro trio who have been known to rule their positions within this barrier. The idea was while the forward line would incline likely with the tendency of play, there would always be an extra player to adhere to the midfield while another ready to embark on the counter. Initially this was Cristiano's duty on the rear while Benzema was up for the strike. Bale would normally add on the right midfield section ready to sprint when required while Modric would be a little ahead of his position tethering to the ball's line of play, which would be in opponent possession in the midfield. The ball would ultimately fall in with Real's midfield and they can dribble and counter. If not, Ramos and his peeps are lurking just behind. This didn't work very neatly in the La Liga but it was a work of art in the UCL. 

Real improvised upon this same tactic, and has been doing so ever since. Even the manager that came afterwards, French superstar icon Zinedine Zidane, used this similar mode of play that aided the Los Blancos in the Champions League. After the disappointing season of 2015, when the whites were supervened by the gigantic form of the Cules, led by the famous MSN trio upfront, Zidane didn't counter with a change. Instead, he improvised upon the old tactical arrangement, and famously went on to grab his hands upon three consecutive UCL titles, that in 16, 17 and 18. 

The formation was very intact. BBC was a legendary trio that was seemingly unstoppable, with CR7 and Benzema firing in goals for the club in the Champions League. The midfield was sincerely strong with Kroos, Casemiro and Modric, like it was two years ago. Marcelo had himself conquering that LB, claiming it his throne as the best in his position in the world. Ramos was aided by Varane after Pepe had chosen to cater to his home club nearing his career end. The right back was a spot that Carvajal managed beautifully. In the goal, was the brilliant Costa Rican Keylor Navas. 

This formation came to rule Europe for three consecutive years. The all time most Champions league winners only enhanced their awesome lead. There was seemingly nothing that could stop the Real Madrid UCL Train! However, since Cristiano's unexpected move to Juventus in summer, 2018, the Spanish giants couldn't bring themselves quite upto their reputation. Cristiano had scored a total of 450 Goals and assisted another 120 across 438 appearences across all formats for the Los Blancos. A legend retired from Santiago Bernabau's atmosphere! But it only went downhill since, atleast for another four years. Real had lost the 2018-19 UCL Round of 16 to Holland's Ajax Amsterdam, who were mere underdogs, and quite famously underestimated against the Spanish club. The team had no balance of position and the players were getting in a breaking relationship with their forms. Real signed exquisite dribbler Hazard from off Chelsea, but the Belgian forward was cursed with injury and ill-fit structure once he joined, leaving him either at the bench or at the infirmary. 

The following season they were shown the exit from the UCL by Manchester City, who later went on to lose the quarters to Lyon. However, Real did win the domestic  league (La Liga) after a gap of three years that year. The next season they went down to Chelsea in the semis. But they bounced back in the 2021-22 season, going against strong competitors, and winning all. 

They didn't have a very good start to their UCL campaign, losing just the second match to Sheriff: a club which no one seemingly knew about before their appearance in the UCL. But Real kept their firm and championed the group. In the Round of Sixteen, they defeated Paris Saint Germain, who were considered one of the favourites. Then, they championed over the best clubs of England in a row, that being Chelsea in the quarters, Man City in the semis and Liverpool in the finals to win the UCL. Real was now a 14 times Champions League winner. 

The formation saw Courtois in the net guarding the goal. Ahead of him was Carvajal in the Left back and Mendy in the right. While Carvajal took on a more attacking role with his position, Mendy preferred to play on the defence. The CBs were Alaba and Eder Militao, who were helped by Nacho and Vasquez whenever required from off the substitute. The midfield was never stronger with Modric, Kroos and Casemiro holding the platform tightly as always, like they have done in the past decade. Dani Ceballos was a feasible option, while Isco and Valverde were sporadic. The youngster Camavinga also got his time about the field. The frontline led by Benzema and aided by Vinicious Junior on the left was appreciably strong on the counter. The right was never too good but there were plentiful options for Carlo Ancelotti who tried Hazard, Asensio, Bale and Rodrygo in the forward line. Fede Valverde was still more suited in it despite his attacking midfield abilities. 

Mostly, Real tried to play their usual midfield possession while creating chances on the play or off the counter, which made most of their goals. The UCL final goal was made quite similarly when Real defeated Liverpool's left flank and dragged the ball inwards from there which could only meet one player: the goalscorer. That goal was the only difference. 

Benzema played a very major role in Real's 2022 campaign. He scored a total of 15 goals and assisted in another two for the whites in the UCL. He scored 27 and assisted 12 in the La Liga, proving to be majorly significant in Real's Spanish dominance. For this, he won the Ballon'd'Or ahead of the likes of Lewandowski and De Bruyne. Besides Karim, Real's Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was splendid throughout the season, a likeness that had faded for some while before. 

- By Dibyendu Maji (05.11.2022)