Holding Midfield
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After the shock and horror of losing a game, Real Madrid came back strong with another five wins on the bounce to put some distance between them and the chasing pack, but they had reason to be more than a little edgy going into the match against their city rivals. Atletico won the Supercopa, the league game at the Bernabeu and just a few weeks ago knocked Real out of the Copa del Rey, so Diego Simeone’s role as boogeyman to Spain’s powerhouses shows no signs of abating. If you had a free bet with ladbrokes, the better bet would have been on the home side – unthinkable just two years ago. For a country whose country’s reputation is built on passing football today, the set-up was strangely English. Atletico started in their typical direct 4-4-2 shape and Real went with their usual 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, although missing several first-teamers, but were unusually direct, with the defenders hitting long balls forward rather than passing it forward. Despite the brilliant job he’s done balancing out a very top-heavy squad, Carlo Ancelotti’s been criticised for failing to adapt his gameplan to the opposition. He seemed to take these criticisms on board for the […]
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