Juventus tactics
Massimiliano Allegri set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation with a narrow, diamond-shaped midfield. Since most of Juventus’ key players were benched or dropped over the weekend, the plan was for the well-rested side to start strongly and commit forward in numbers to support attacks.
Andrea Pirlo returned to the base of central midfield, where he operated as a deep-lying playmaker looking to float balls over the top or play through balls into the feet of the attacking midfielders. Defensively, Pirlo was the sitting midfielder; protecting the central defenders to allow Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner to supply width in attack.
In midfield, Stefano Sturaro and Claudio Marchisio worked from the sides of midfield and supported play centrally, while Arturo Vidal roamed as a central attacking midfielder.
Carlos Tevez dropped into midfield to help Vidal in linking play centrally, while Alvaro Morata made runs in behind to get on the end of floated balls from midfield. When Juventus had good possession in the Real Madrid half, those strikers worked as a centre forward pair in the box.
When out of possession, the two strikers had to lead a high pressing approach but when Los Blancos bypassed that high press, the Bianconeri defended in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Morata led the pressing in that shape, while Tevez worked just behind the former Madrid striker. In midfield, Vidal joined Pirlo as the central midfielders protecting the centre-halves while Marchisio and Sturaro dealt with Madrid’s full-backs in wide areas.
Real Madrid tactics
Carlo Ancelotti sacrificed Javier Hernandez from the starting lineup because the Italian manager had a specific task for Gareth Bale. The Welsh forward had to close down Pirlo when out of possession. Bale also provided a threat during quick transitions with his pace against Juventus’ defenders who are all in their thirties.
Marcelo and Dani Carvajal attacked down the flanks as full-backs bombing forward to link up with the wide midfielders before supplying crosses into the box. In midfield, Toni Kroos worked as the main holding midfielder, which allowed Sergio Ramos to push forward.
Isco and James Rodriguez were the wide midfielders. That pair came inside from the flanks to join the strikers while also linking up with overlapping full-backs to supply service to the centre forwards.
Up top, Cristiano Ronaldo floated just behind Bale in an area where he could receive the ball with time to affect the game. Bale worked as the main striker, making runs in behind the ageing Juventus back-four.
Ronaldo then pushed up top as a transitional player when Real Madrid were out of possession, while Bale dropped a bit deeper to mind Pirlo.
Rodriguez and Isco defended from the sides of Ramos and Kroos to complete a midfield line of four that protected the defenders.
Key tactical changes
Real Madrid started slowly, were frequently caught in possession in dangerous areas and deserved to go a goal down. Both sides still kept attacking even after Ancelotti’s men equalised but the shape of the game changed when Tevez scored the winner for Juventus.
Apart from a slow start, Los Blancos lacked a quality ball player. Ramos struggled to impose himself offensively in his role as the creative central midfielder. His longer passes missed their intended targets and the Spaniard’s general work in possession lacked the tempo necessary to open up defences.
With Luka Modric out injured, Ancelotti had no viable option to improve that department. The Italian manager kept Ramos in central midfield while detailing his side to search for the equaliser in the last 30 minutes by frequently getting the ball wide and whipping in crosses from the flanks. Hernandez joined Ronaldo up top to attack the service coming in from wide areas.
Allegri, on the other hand, tasked his side to drop back and protect their lead in a compact defensive shape. Andrea Barzagli joined Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci in central defence to add an extra body in dealing with Real’s crosses.
Evra and Lichtsteiner attacked as wing-backs in a 3-5-2 formation but the full-backs dropped to the defensive line when defending. With those five at the back, the Bianconeri were happy to see the game out without a lot of possession.
The extra central defender helped Juventus as they won most crosses coming in from the flanks. Since Real also lacked the quality to attack through the middle, Allegri’s men comfortably protected their lead.
Even the last ditch attempt to nick a late goal by switching to a 4-3-3 formation with Jese, Hernandez and Ronaldo as the forwards could not change anything for the holders.
