Match Analysis: Ending Streaks - Madrid & Montpellier

WhoScored’s regular look at the significant streaks that have come to an end over the previous weekend sees us focus on La Liga and Ligue 1 this time round. Over in Spain, Real Madrid’s winning run of eleven straight matches was unexpectedly brought to an end by Malaga in a 1-1 stalemate at the Bernabeu, while in France, Montpellier’s pursuit of PSG was dealt a blow as they tasted defeat for the first time in nine matches at the hands of Nancy.

Madrid Stalled by Cazorla Stunner - Match Report

It’s fair to say Real Madrid have enjoyed home comforts this term. Jose Mourinho’s side had dropped just 3 points at home all season prior to Sunday evening and, with the visitors losing five of their last six on the road, the hosts were overwhelming favourites as old boss Manuel Pellegrini  rolled into town with Malaga.

Unsurprisingly, Real tend to boss games at the Bernabeu, with an average 60.1% possession at home, but Malaga took control, with 53% of the play. Sitting in the double pivot, Martín Demichelis made the most passes (74), though with just 3 long balls and no key passes, he displayed a safety-first approach, with a 91% accuracy.

Despite their superior possession, Malaga made just a single key pass between them – Santi Cazorla was the provider. Indeed, Cazorla troubled Madrid throughout. Stationed wide left in a 4-2-3-1, as the Player Position map shows, Cazorla (12) dropped deep and drifted centrally, producing a varied distribution, with 68 passes, 5 crosses, 8 successful long balls and a couple of through balls. In contrast, Madrid created 12 goalscoring opportunities, with their front four providing 10 key passes between them. Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil managed 3 apiece, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka chipped in with 2 each.

Defensively, Malaga once again were superior, making 29 tackles to Madrid’s 25. With Madrid attacking down Ronaldo’s left side 38% of the time, the visitors’ right-back Sergio Sánchez (21)  was immense, producing 8 tackles and 3 interceptions to keep the Portuguese star at bay. Demichelis once again stood out for Pellegrini’s side, with 7 tackles and 4 interceptions breaking up the home side’s attacking ploys time and again. For Madrid, it was more a team effort; eight players made 2 or more tackles, with Marcelo, Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira joint-top with 4 apiece.

In terms of goal attempts, however, Madrid were far more impressive. The league leaders managed 18 in comparison to Malaga’s 5, though only 6 of Madrid’s efforts were on target; given that 50% of their efforts were inside the visitors’ penalty area, this was a poor shooting display from the hosts. Benzema was the guiltiest culprit; although he headed home Madrid’s only goal, 3 of his 5 shots failed to hit the target. Ronaldo was next best for shots, with 2 of his 3 on target; though he failed to score, he provided the assist for the Frenchman’s first half opener.

With the game two minutes into stoppage time and Real 1-0 ahead, it seemed that Mourinho’s men would maintain their 10 point advantage over Barcelona at the summit, but Cazorla had other ideas.  Stepping up, he curled home a stunning free-kick past Iker Casillas to earn the visitors a point and give Pep Guardiola’s side a glimmer of hope in the race for the title.

Woe for Giroud at Nancy - Match Report

A couple of straight red cards for Montpellier saw their eight-match unbeaten streak come crashing down at Nancy. The visitors had last tasted defeat in mid-December but playing the final half hour with nine men proved a step too far for Rene Girard’s side as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss. Nancy made the extra numbers count, with 55% possession against the second place side – given they average 43.6% at home, the difference was telling.

Salif Sané saw more of the ball than any player, making 78 passes from his role in front of the back-four in a 4-3-3. A superb accuracy of 92%, allied with the fact that he failed to make a single key pass, indicates his safety-first approach when in possession. Yohan Mollo, playing wide left for Nancy, created more chances than any other player – a total of 4 key passes, in addition to 12 crosses, 3 long balls and a through ball, summed up his danger on the flank.

The two sendings off meant Montpellier relied on playing long balls (65), with goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren providing 2 key passes as he launched attacks from deep. Defensive midfielder Jamel Saihi also made 2 key passes, as did Rémy Cabella; playing in the hole, though the latter was sacrificed on 63 minutes after the second dismissal.

In terms of defensive stats, the tackle count was relatively low. Nancy again were superior, making 15 tackles to Montpellier’s 9, quickly pressuring the visitors and winning back possession. Djamel Bakar stood out for the hosts; the right sided forward showed plenty of endeavour, making 6 tackles and 3 interceptions. Sané again impressed with an industrious 3 tackles in the centre of the pitch, while right-back Joël Sami was another busy performer. As the Player Position map shows, John Utaka (7) stayed high on the Montpellier left but Sami had him under control, making 2 tackles and 4 interceptions to break up the visitors’ counter-attacks.

Once again, Nancy were top for goal attempts, with 16 to Montpellier’s 9. While Sané sat deep, his fellow central midfielders Lossemy Karaboue and Bakaye Traoré produced plenty of goal threat for the home side. As the Player Position map highlights, Karaboue (18) and Traoré (12) were afforded the space to bomb forward and subsequently fired 3 and 6 shots respectively, though neither managed to find the net. Instead, it took a penalty to clinch the winner; Benjamin Stambouli, on as a half-time sub for Montpellier, lasted just fifteen minutes before being dismissed after giving away the spot-kick, converted by Andre Luiz.

The game was one to forget for Olivier Giroud, however. Top scorer in Ligue 1 with 17 goals thus far, the forward has been crucial to his side’s title bid and was afforded chance after chance to hit the net. Giroud had a total of 8 shots but not only did he fail to score for the visitors, not a single one of his effort was on target in what was a rare, and hugely disappointing, off day that also saw him lose possession 10 times. With PSG scrambling a late draw at Caen, however, Montpellier’s loss proved less costly overall, with just 2 points separating the pair at the top of the table.