Real Madrid tactics
Carlo Ancelotti ditched the much-maligned decision to use Sergio Ramos as a ball player in midfield. This time the Spain international started in a familiar central defensive position, while Isco and James Rodriguez worked as ball players in a 4-3-3 formation.
The plan was to push for an early goal by overwhelming Juventus, with the forwards supplemented by attacking midfielders and full-backs in the final-third from the off. Full-backs Marcelo and Daniel Carvajal pushed beyond the halfway line to stretch the opposition, while Toni Kroos protected the central defenders as the holding midfielder.
Rodriguez and Isco were the advanced central midfielders working the ball through the middle and breaking the lines with key passes.
Cristiano Ronaldo drifted inside from the left to float just behind Karim Benzema in an area where he searched for pockets of space he could use to hurt the Bianconeri. Gareth Bale drifted inside from the right as a wide forward opening up the pitch for his stronger left foot.
When out of possession Ancelotti’s men conformed into a 4-4-2 formation with Bale dropping into midfield, leaving Benzema to lead the defending while Ronaldo hovered just behind the Frenchman as a transitional player.
Rodriguez pulled out from central midfield to the left flank to press as a wide midfielder while Isco and Kroos protected the back-four as the central midfielders.
Juventus tactics
Massimiliano Allegri probably expected Real Madrid to enjoy more possession at the Bernabeu so he tasked his side to do a job on the defending champions. The Juventus boss set his side to attack in a 4-4-2 diamond formation while defending in a 4-4-2 formation with two deep, flat lines of four.
That meant that when the hosts had the ball, Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata led the pressing while Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio pulled out from midfield to mind Real’s full-backs.
Arturo Vidal dropped to join Andrea Pirlo in double-pivoting just in front of the back four. That pair completed a flat midfield line of four that aligned in the defensive third.
With that midfield line protecting the defenders, Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner tucked inside to join central defenders in forming the back-four line just in front of the penalty box.
When in possession the Italian side had the option to expose Real’s gung-ho offensive plan during quick changeovers. Morata and Tevez made runs in behind Madrid’s high defensive line while the athletic Vidal charged forward to support that centre forward pair.
When Juve had good possession, the plan was to exploit Real’s weakness in dealing with opponent’s full-backs. The Turin team committed both Evra and Lichtsteiner all the way to the offensive third were those defenders could provide service to the forwards.
In central areas Pirlo remained as the sitting midfielder at the base of the midfield diamond, while Pogba and Marchisio supported play from the sides of that narrow midfield. Vidal worked just behind the forwards in an area in which he looked to influence the game from pockets of space around Kroos.
Key tactical changes
Real Madrid were the better side in the opening half as they created good chances and showed more quality in the middle-third than they did in the first-leg. Los Blancos’ goal may have been debatable but they probably deserved it given their offensive work.
Ancelotti’s men continued to dominate until about the hour-mark when Morata equalised against the run of play. That goal took the momentum away from Real. Afterwards the holders struggled to sustain pressure on Juventus as they had done earlier in the game.
With a frustrated Madrid forcing the issue, Allegri fancied his side’s chances of seeing the game out in the last 10 minutes. He turned to a 3-5-2 formation in order to have an extra central defender. Andrea Barzagli came on as a right-sided central defender to add presence in the penalty box when dealing with aerial balls.
There was another benefit to the formation change. Earlier, Carvajal frequently got into good crossing positions by eluding Pogba, so Evra completed the game as a left wing-back tracking back with the Real right-back.
In general Juve’s wing-back system added more defensive strength in that last period. The Bianconeri packed bodies in the defensive-third which restricted Los Blancos to few chances in good areas.
Real Madrid finished the game with Javier Hernandez as the centre forward, while Ramos completed the game as a striker in a desperate attempt to nick a late goal by adding bodies in the offensive-third. None of those moves promised anything as the Old Lady defended very well.
