For those Real Madrid fans with expectations of immediate success, Jose Mourinho preached caution upon his arrival last summer; the second season, the Special One explained, would be the true test of his side. With time to assess his playing staff and weigh up his new La Liga surroundings, Mourinho was confident of making the necessary tactical and personnel adjustments that would see Real overtake a magnificent Barcelona side as the domestic champions.
This last weekend has seen reports in the Spanish press - Marca in particular- speculating on Mourinho intentions to ditch the 4-2-3-1 formation so favoured last season in favour of a 4-3-3. Madrid lined up in a 4-2-3-1 in thirty-two of their thirty-eight La Liga matches in 2010/11, winning 24, drawing 4 and losing 4, while they took to the field in a 4-3-3 four times, winning 3 and drawing 1. Certainly, Mourinho is one of the most tactically astute bosses in the game and while a change in tactics wouldn’t be too much of a shock, it would definitely be intriguing.
Marca’s suggested defence (Casillas, S. Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo) is pretty much without dispute but their midfield three (Khedira, Alonso, Sahin) and front trio (Ozil, Benzema, Ronaldo) is certainly up for debate.
Instead, a look at Madrid’s final game of the season, an 8-1 home demolition of Almeria, offers a hint as to how Mourinho may deploy his players in a 4-3-3, with the sheer depth of Real’s squad affording a midfield trio of Mezut Ozil and Kaka with Xabi Alonso sitting behind the pair, as Cristiano Ronaldo was joined by Emmanuel Adebyor and Karim Benzema up top.
This leads on to the idea that Mourinho, if he chooses to adapt the 4-3-3, can shuffle his adaptable squad to suit the strength of his opponents:
Against Weaker Opposition
Mourinho places an emphasis on quick transitions from defence to attack and Alonso’s distribution in the Almeria game was key to how Madrid played; he made more Passes (66) than any player but, far more significantly, played an incredible 17 Long Balls from deep, launching Madrid attacks in an instant, as the front three grabbed 7 between them in the rout.
Defensively, Alonso was also sound, making 2 Tackles and 3 Interceptions as he helped break up the opponents play time and again. Ozil excelled in his midfield role with 5 Key Passes, while Kaka weighed in with 2. With just a single defensive midfielder required in these types of matches, Alonso would definitely suffice: over the season, he averaged 3.2 Tackles, 2.8 Interceptions and 1.62 Key Passes per game, displaying both the defensive and passing ability to suit the role.
New signing Nuri Sahin (3.8 Tackles, 2.2 Interceptions, 3.47 Key Passes) has a similar type of game, offering plenty at the back and in possession. The ability to pick a pass and start an attack will be critical to this role and Sahin would be as capable as Alonso here. Both can also move forward into a central midfield role and any starting XI containing the two would certainly give Madrid extra bite. Sahin’s introduction may prove a major factor in the move to 4-3-3 as his work rate, combined with Alonso’s, would allow Mourinho to field a more attacking third player without losing any creative threat.
A look at other midfield alternatives shows Sami Khedira (1.9 Tackles, 2.1 Interceptions, 0.88 Key Passes) has neither the work-rate or passing ability required to play the deep-lying playmaker position and while Lassana Diarra (3.5 Tackles, 1,8 Interceptions) has a solid defensive contribution, his 0.6 Key Passes highlights his low creativity and 2.8 Fouls per game indicates a lack of discipline to play a deeper role.
This line of thinking would give Mourinho the following options per position, with the adaptability of Sahin, Alonso, Ozil and Benzema (and perhaps Ronaldo) allowing for a flexible system that would see players swap positions with the minimum of fuss.
Deep Lying Playmaker: Sahin, Alonso (1 from 2)
Central Midfield: Kaka, Ozil, Sahin, Alonso (2 from 4)
Wide Right: Di Maria, Ozil (1 from 2)
Striker: Benzema, Higuain (1 from 2)
Wide Left: Ronaldo, Benzema (1 from 2)
Against Stronger Opposition
Mourinho may choose to use the deep-lying midfielder in more of a Claude Makelele role here, with less emphasis on creating and more on simply screening the back-four, breaking up play and moving the ball on. In this scenario, Khedira would be best utilised in this position of any, though the stats of Alonso and Sahin suggest either could adapt to the more defensive role with accomplishment.
Ultimately, the most solidly defensive midfield trio would be Khedira playing just behind Alonso and Sahin. The stats of Kaka (0.7 Tackles, 0.7 Interceptions, 1.86 Key Passes) and Ozil (0.8 Tackles, 0.7 Interceptions, 3.31 Key Passes) illustrate that while they would offer an increased attacking threat, the defensive side of Real’s game in midfield would suffer; playing both when the team need to battle would create too much of an imbalance.
An ultra-cautious Mourinho could therefore start games with Khedira, Alonso and Sahin in the centre but, depending on how each game is developing, could move either Alonso or Sahin back and replace Khedira with Kaka or Ozil. Either way, it’s clear there are plenty options available to the Real boss with a 4-3-3, a definite depth and variety of selection that perhaps supersedes Barcelona and one that could give Madrid the edge over Pep Guardiola’s side in Jose’s upcoming -and defining- second season.
Defensive Central Midfielder: Khedira, Sahin, Alonso (1 from 3)
Central Midfield: Khedira, Sahin, Alonso, Ozil, Kaka (2 from 5)
Wide Right: Di Maria, Ozil (1 from 2)
Striker: Benzema, Higuain (1 from 2)
Wide Left: Ronaldo, Benzema (1 from 2)
