The tactical variations that enabled Zinedine Zidane & Real Madrid to regain the La Liga title - a tactical analysis thread:

• To place some context on this season, in March 2019, Zidane took over a flailing Real Madrid side who had just been knocked out of the Champions League Last 16 by Ajax, knocked out of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals by Barcelona and were 3rd and 12 points off Barca at the top

• Zidane himself didn't fare much better in the remaining 2 months of the season - 11 games, 5 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses
- and most alarmingly conceded 14 goals - 1.27 goals/game (a far-cry from the 0.66 goals/game conceded this season - the best defence in Europe's top 5 leagues)

• In a modern world where managers are fixed on one philosophy & way of playing, Zidane won this league title by being incredibly flexible and using a multitude of different systems, game-plans & personnel

So how did Zinedine Zidane tactically transform Real into title winners?

1. 4-3-3 - the controlling midfield

•With Casemiro an ever-present at DM (started 35/38 La Liga games), it was the other two more advanced midfield slots that Zidane rotated throughout the season.
•Often when he wanted to dominate the ball, he played Modric & Kroos together

•In deeper build-up play:
- the midfield pair would often position themselves in deeper positions to provide Casemiro and the CBs with passing options to play through the opposition's press

•However,when the build-up had progressed to the final third:
- Modric on the right would often
a) make late runs into the box
b) position himself in between the lines
c) press higher

- Kroos sat deeper to recycle the ball/switch play
b) but to also protect against counters

•Both also had strict defensive responsibilities
-Modric's role was to press higher when Real lost the ball,probably due to his greater mobility
-Kroos' deeper position in the build-up meant he could position himself to help Casemiro protect counters if the press was played thru

- These separate defensive responsibilities in different areas of the pitch are supported by the statistics - Modric applied 5.63 pressures per 90 in the final third & 8.65 in the middle third, while Kroos applied 3.56 in the final third & 12.7 in the middle third

•However, in order to play these roles, it was necessary for both to increase their end-product
- Kroos - 15 G/A this season (compared to 7 G/A
- Modric - 13 G/A this season (highest season total at Real)

•This smooth transition into different midfield roles for the pair at the age of 34 & 30 respectively, further demonstrates the world class legacy they will leave on the game

2. 4-3-3 - the more defensive-minded midfield

• However,Zidane often selected Fede Valverde as a midfielder in place of one of Kroos/Modric
•Mainly in games where he was more wary of the opposition's midfield creativity - e.g. Sociedad x2 (Merino & Odegaard), Atleti x2, Barca

• In these games, Valverde was often tasked with intensely closing down the opposition's playmakers & allowing them little time on-the-ball, as he does with Merino here

•But Valverde's defensive responsibilities didn't end there, he would also use his phenomenal athleticism to track across into wide areas to stop attacking threats like Oyarzabal here

•And he would also track a lot of vertical distance by helping Real Madrid's front 3 implement their high pressing when needed

•In an attacking sense,Valverde posed different problems for opposition defences
-his powerful ball-carrying meant Real often transitioned much quicker into attack compared to a more patient build-up with Modric+Kroos. Here he escapes Sociedad's pressure & runs at their back 4

- Valverde would also often overlap or underlap Carvajal to create wide overloads vs the opposition full-back.

And he has the pace to get to the byline and into dangerous crossing positions, as he did with the assist for Benzema vs Sociedad:

3. 4-3-3 - Valverde in a wide role

•Zidane sometimes used Valverde in a wide right role - often to negate the opposition's threat down the left wing
-e.g. vs Barca- Setien played a 4-4-2 with the defensive midfield 4 of Frenkie,Busquets,Rakitic & Vidal allowing Alba to bomb on

- Valverde's defensive positioning, pressing & athleticism to cover lots of ground was a big factor in Real's Clasico win
- For example in this scenario, in the space of 9 seconds:
a) He fills in for Carvajal at RB
b) Aggressively tackles Frenkie
c) Initiates the press on Umititi

- Valverde's defensive discipline has also allowed Carvajal the freedom to fly forwards into more attacking positons, as he did when creating chances for Benzema & Isco here.
- In fact, 4/6 of Carvajal's assists this season have come when Valverde has played alongside him

•Valverde himself is also able to attack well in wide areas as we mentioned previously - his tally of 5 assists & 6 big chances created in just 21 La Liga starts, augurs well for his future.

•And the discipline of Valverde's defensive roles cannot be underestimated - unbeaten in 21 La Liga starts - 15W, 6D, 0L, with just 11 goals conceded

4. 4-3-3 - the attacking front 3

• In 20 La Liga games, Zidane opted for a more attacking set-up, employing a front 3 with two natural wingers (Vinicius, Rodrygo, Hazard, Bale, Vazquez or Asensio) flanking Benzema

•Zidane used this setup to increase attacking output primarily vs weaker opposition - the average table position of teams he did this against was 12th
•This intention was fulfilled - Real scored 2.2 goals per game in these matches (their season average was 1.8 goals per game)

•There were 3 tactical ways in which this helped:
a) It allowed Benzema to roam into wide channels & create chances - but still retain sufficient attacking presence in the box

b) It also allowed Benzema to drop deep in between the lines and link play as he often did when playing with Ronaldo & Bale in the famed BBC. With runners going beyond him

c) It also gave Real a greater attacking threat in transition - here when Rodrygo wins the ball back via counter-pressing, he now has both Asensio & Benzema breaching the Espanyol defensive line and Benzema assists Asensio for a simple finish

5. 4-3-3 - Isco as a 'false winger'
•Isco was a strong favourite of Zidane's in his final year in charge - starting 21 La Liga games & 10 UCL games
•This season, Zidane used him more sparingly (15 La Liga starts)

•When Isco did play, he was given freedom to roam centrally from his wide right or left starting position
•Rather than a major playmaker like in Zidane's first stint, he was tasked with finding space in between the lines, linking the midfield to attack,with quick one-touch play

•This change of role is demonstrated by the per 90 statistics:
- in 2017/18 - Isco carried the ball 550 yards per 90, had 45 touches in the final third & received the ball 89 times
- this season - these figures were 369 yards, 29 touches & 75 times

6. 4-5-1 - with the flat midfield 5

•There were a few occasions where Zidane crammed 5 natural midfielders into his lineup
•The aim in these games was central domination with the full-backs heavily relied on to provide the width

•You can see the obvious dilemma facing opposition midfields against this system. Do they...
a)Close down Kroos & Modric but then leave Isco & Valverde free in their narrow positions in between the lines
b)Stand off Kroos & Modric but then allow them too much time to pick a pass

•Real were able to dominate possession in the games they selected this system - purely due to the amount of passing options their players had. Averaged 63.5% possession in these games

7. The 4-4-2 diamond

•This system was a hallmark of Zidane's first season in charge with Isco floating behind a front 2 of Benzema and Cristiano
•He used the setup only once this season but it still got him a crucial 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou back in December

•With Barca selecting a lineup devoid of pace, it made sense for Zidane to congest the middle of the pitch, especially as Real weren't playing fluidly
- you can see below how congested the diamond of Isco, Kroos, Valverde & Casemiro made the middle - Messi has no passing options

8. 4-2-3-1 - the most attacking Zidane tactical variation

•Lastly, there were 3 games where Zidane selected a more attacking 4-2-3-1 with an actual number 10 included alongside his front 3
•Real actually won all 3 of these games against Levante, Sevilla & Mallorca

•We mentioned the runners available in the attacking 4-3-3 earlier, the 4-2-3-1 had this & more
- for Vinicius' goal vs Mallorca- Modric has 4 passing options- Vinicius overlapping,Hazard (as a 10) on the edge of the area,Bale running in-behind & Benzema making a run to far post

•Playing Benzema with 3 other attacking options also gave him even greater scope to drop deeper & use his excellent link-up qualities, as he did when creating this chance for Vinicius for example

•With Bale & James staying due to high wage demands, Asensio fit,Vinicius,Rodrygo,Vazquez,Isco,Hazard & maybe Odegaard returning (favoured role is as a number 10),Zidane definitely has the attackers behind Benzema to play this system more.And maybe vs City given Real need 2 goal

This thread was 1 week-10 days of research and composition , so retweets of the original post in the thread much appreciated if you enjoyed reading it. And any feedback always welcome. Thanks