Why Jose & Pep were outdone by Madrid’s counter
specialists
This season’s Champions League semi-final’s have been an
interesting and fascinating affair. Both ties were cagey and cautious in the
first legs which is understandable. Those clamouring for some sort of goal fest were rather naive. The games set up an
intriguing week of second legs, the outcome of which not many would have believed
possible. In the aftermath we are now looking at a Madrid derby for the final, the first time
two clubs from the same city have contested in the final of Europe’s top
competition. Their victories were deserved, yet does this point to something
more in football’s future and what does it say for Jose and Pep?
Last season it was all about Germany’s rise to the top of
European football. Bayern’s dominance and strength was growing and becoming
more powerful and Dortmund were proving to be something special in terms of
their style and spirit. Both sides had built their success that season on
gegenpressing, the German counter-pressing style which overcame the mighty Real
Madrid and Barcelona in the semi-final’s. It seemed as though German football had overtaken Spain in
the battle for Europe’s ‘best league’.
Yet the truth was that last season
Germany’s top two sides were simply better than the rest. They were more
focused, determined and ruthless. A year on and we see an all-Spanish final, so perhaps it is not the league or teams but the style which is the key? Are we seeing a trend towards success coming from a deep
defensive blocks and ruthless counter attacking football? Is counter-pressing
the most effective strategy in modern football?
The reactionaries to tiki-taka
Ever since Barca’s rise to dominance we have marvelled at
their tiki-taka style of play, their ability to dominate games with possession
and intricate play in the oppositions defensive third. It has brought an
abundance of trophies at both club and international level. Now of course this kind of success leads to reactionary coaches who
strive to counter this style of play.
No surprise that it was Mourinho who
appeared to start this trend when he faced Barca in 2010 and overcame then in
the semi-final executing a near perfect deep defensive block, it was a
masterclass in overcoming this Barca side. And he would succeed in the final against Bayern with
just 30% possession. He allowed Bayern to have the ball for large parts of the
game, stifling their space in which to attack and then looking to punish them
on the counter. They won 2-0 with relative ease. Exciting? Not really. But
effective. Of course.
His move to Madrid allowed for almost a dozen games between Mourinho and Pep, the battle between 'good and evil'. Mourinho the antithesis of Guardiola's style. It was a perfect battle yet it was also a lesson to others. Mourinho's experimentation became a blueprint for others to experiment with and master.
Chelsea under Di Matteo perhaps rode their luck more than
Mourinho’s Inter yet they still overcame Barca and Bayern to lift the trophy in
2012. The deep defensive block was proving a success. It was stopping sides
exploiting space behind the defence, forcing long shots, asking more of the
creative players to find gaps which weren’t always there. And of course it left
the side in possession exposed on the counter attack.
In the past two years we
have witnessed the coming of age of counter-pressing football and the decline
of tiki-taka.
Guardiola humbled
An article from this blog at the start of the season said
that Guardiola and his philosophy had become isolated from the rest. Where once coaches sought to replicate Barca's style of play coaches were now seeing the benefits of counter-pressing over the ‘beauty’
of tiki-taka. Had Guardiola’s style had become predictable and lacking in
cutting edge?
As the season went on it appeared Bayern and Guardiola were
unstoppable in their quest for league domination and making history for defending
their crown. He was proving his doubters wrong once more. And yet they began looking vulnerable. After winning the league by
a canter did they switch off? A psychological drop? Their 53 game unbeaten
streak came to an end against the unlikely Augsburg, then came a loss to Dortmund at home 3-0. They looked poor against a
terrible Man Utd side in both legs.
This was not the Bayern of the season, or certainly the
one from last year. Just as you expected Bayern to be moving up a level they
looked to be dropping. And so their semi-final performance to Real Madrid
proved. In the first leg it appeared it was to be a long night for Madrid, the
first 20 minutes Bayern looked in charge, arrogant and dominating. Madrid
looked pressurised and somewhat lacking in ideas. They were at home and yet
they could not get the ball. They were defending very deep, it was a only a
matter of time surely?
A shot was blocked by Pepe, perhaps destined for a
precious away goal which at that point Bayern deserved. And then seconds later
Madrid were 1-0 up, from nothing they were now in control. And now in this lead
they never really looked back. They should have gone 3-0 up at half time yet
wastefulness cost them. However they controlled the second half with relative
ease and went in to the second leg with confidence, knowing they could score an
away goal.
Bayern looked more lacking and frustrated as the game went
on. Their tempo was too slow, their passing too predictable and their movement off the ball of which has been their most impressive aspect this season was far too rigid. Pep’s
choice to play Mandzukic and not Muller and Gotze was puzzling as it was clear
all season that the Croatian was not suited to Guardiola’s style of play.
He would play him again in the second leg however, believing
that he could offer something in the form of physicality against Madrid’s
defence. Perhaps he was seen as an important figure for set-pieces also. Yet
Madrid have been proven to struggle with smaller players like Gotze than
Mandzukic types, struggling to deal with their movement and speed. Yet it wasn’t
just his forward he got wrong in this second leg, it was nearly everything.
Was
he lacking focus because of his friend’s passing? Perhaps. Because it was clear
that this Bayern team had accepted defeat before the game. They lacked passion,
drive and belief. They played with fear, afraid that their possession would only
gift Madrid with chances. It was a sad sight to witness, a team which appeared
ready to dominate Europe were now reduced to this.
Madrid were ruthless,
smelling blood and the kill. Two set piece goals and a scarily quick counter
attack killed the tie at half time. It was all just too easy. Possession had
proven a problem for Bayern, they hadn't been able to control either game even
thought they enjoyed a huge dominance of possession. After years of tiki-taka seemingly
reducing sides to kick and rush sides they had now perfected the ways to
overcome the style. Speed was the key. And with players like Ronaldo, Bale and
Di Maria making 30-50 yard sprints Bayern just couldn’t cope.
Importantly it
was clear Madrid knew in their minds that this was theirs and Bayern’s players
admitted they were right. The body language proved it. They had no answers to what
Madrid’s defence set out and how their forwards broke out.
Questions surely
should be asked of Guardiola because this was his worst performance as a coach
in my opinion. It looked lacking of preparation, belief and ideas. All things
which Guardiola, particularly in the big game has never lacked.
Ancelotti however proved to be every bit the smart and
experienced coach he has proven to be this past decade. He got his tactics spot
on and used the pieces he had perfectly. He has taken Mourinho’s work with
Madrid and taken it further. The 4-3-3 with Modric and Di Maria has been a
revelation in terms of balance and control and has enhanced the reputation and
quality of both players. Modric in particular is not far away from being
regarded as the best midfielder in Europe this season.
Ancelotti has not fought
with the players or media like Mourinho did, and this has been key to his
success so far. He has brought harmony to a club which is in turmoil a year
ago. He appears to understand the demands and needs of this kind of club more
than Mourinho did.
He of course has a great squad yet he importantly has not
sought to fit in a player like Isco, instead finding the right balance which benefits
the whole side. His success against
Bayern came from a mix between the now famous deep defensive block and a
mid-pressing game similar to gegenpressing. The lesson is evident; team
defending allied with speed on the counter executed to perfection is the key to success. Compare this to Bayern
and their lack of pressing high killed them dearly. The same with Barca last
season. It does seem that a high pressing game is more fatiguing and costly
than a deep defensive block in the modern game.
Simeone's rise to the top
In the other tie we saw two coaches and sides whose season
can defined based on counter-pressing. Both Mourinho and Simeone see the value
in conceding possession, in drawing in the opposition and them looking to break
and counter with speed. Mourinho can be argued to be the master of it this past
decade, Klopp appeared to take it further and now Simeone looks to be a new
rival to the crown. This new generation of coaches who organise their sides to
defend from their own half, who obsess about transition and who do not seek to
entertain but to win. These are men of the counter-pressing generation. Is this
what football’s future is going to be?
The games themselves were enthralling contests. The first leg Mourinho achieved what he set out to do, attain a 0-0 draw. His accomplishment at the time seemed well planned and logical, however on reflection his desire to prevent Atleti scoring which resulted in his reluctance to score a precious away goal has been his undoing in these games. Perhaps he believed like many that the game would be decided by one goal in the second leg. He was wrong.
In the second leg it was as strange performance from Chelsea as much as it was from Bayern. Both sides struggled with the weight of expectancy on their shoulders at home. People still thought Bayern would qualify yet they capitulated. So did Chelsea. Perhaps scoring when they did was an issue?
If we compare the game with the Liverpool one this past weekend you see the timing of the goals was near perfect. A killer blow before half time and a knockout punch at the end. Chelsea' goal however came half way through the second half and invited pressure from Atleti. It always felt like a case of needing to keep a clean sheet before half time. And they couldn't.
Adrian's goal was a huge turning point in the tie. Atleti were invigorated and the goal came at such a valuable time in the game. It was poor defending from Chelsea, leaving such space at the back post, the goalkeeper lost, Terry slipping to prevent the cut back, Cole's feet tangled. It was not the Chelsea we have become accustomed to this season in terms of solid defending. Yet they looked shaky all half. Had they kept 1-0 they may have been able to see out the game. Yet that goal cost them. Whatever was said at half time looked to have affected them negatively.
Mourinho now needed to chase the game which surprisingly looked very desperate considering one goal would win it. Terry's header was too close to Courtois and he should have done better. That was a massive chance and it cost Chelsea. After Eto'o came on Chelsea became more open and looked more vulnerable. And this space is where Costa thrives. It was not surprising he won the penalty. After that it was game over. The header off the post from Luiz was that moment of luck which can define these games and so it proved. Turan killed the contest and secured their place in the final.
The best progress
The truth is that the best two sides in Europe have qualified for the final. Mourinho's wish to tell us all that this Chelsea side wasn't ready is true. PSG should have knocked them out as they were a much a stronger side and it was a only a case of the difference in coaches which made their progression possible. Realistically a strikeforce of Ba, Torres and Eto'o simply isn't good enough. They will be better next season.
As for Bayern, well many seem delighted to write off Guardiola now, to profess the death of tiki-taka, and in some ways you can see the rise of counter-pressing and acclaim that Guardiola has taken this side backwards from last season. Yet it is proven to be near impossible to retain your European crown.
The truth however is that the project Guardiola is putting in place is just beginning. His desire for universality and the most complete totalfootball side ever is still developing. The absence of a Thiago has been important for Bayern's recent dip in form. And with Lewandowski arriving a world class forward along with Gotze will be frightening. It was a mental issue for Bayern these past few weeks, something which can be addressed and enhanced next season.
Special mention for Ancelotti who has been able to do what Madrid have failed to do for over decade, qualify for the Champions League final. Three failures in a row before allowed some to point to Mourinho's serial failure in the competition yet the truth is he took this side to these consistent levels and now Ancelotti has taken them another step. They were and have been the most ruthless and dominant side in the tournament this year, from the group stage onwards. Ronaldo has a point to prove and he appears intent and able to make it happen. The key for Madrid's quality this season is that he has found what every successful side requires, balance.
The key is in the detail, not possession
What these games have proven is that transition and set-pieces are the key facets of the modern game. Possession has become irrelevant in terms of dominating games. What is important, and this has always been the case, is creating and scoring chances. Too much possession has become counter-intuitive for sides who have now become the prey when a few years before they were the predator. Never has 'purposeful possession' being more of an apt phrase.
With the importance of speed in the game players and teams thrive on tempo and aggressive play both in attack and attack. Possession based sides have taken this away and has reduced the impact and quality of some players. The adage of 'know your players' fits nicely here.
As well as this focusing on executing set-pieces is the difference at this level. As this blog said before, it's the little details which define success. The big philosophical ideas look and sound great yet the key to success is in the fine, minute details of the game. This is what we have seen these past few days.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
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- Football's New Era - The Rise of 'Counter-Pressing'
- Real Madrid | European Favourites Once Again
- El Cholo’s Atletico Revolution
- The Final Four | A Lesson in Coaching
- Will 'Arrogance' Derail Bayern's European Success?
- Guardiola's (Impossible) Task - Defending Bayern's Euro Crown
- Guardiola – The Architect of the Future Game
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