Zinedine Zidane’s tactical blueprint for Real Madrid’s victory over Barcelona in his first El Clasico as manager has been leaked online. The French football legend, both as a player and a coach, masterminded a 2-1 win in his first meeting with Barcelona in 2016, and the details of his approach have now surfaced.
Zidane, a two-time manager of Real Madrid, guided the club to three Champions League titles and two La Liga trophies. As a player, he enjoyed a distinguished career at Juventus and Real Madrid, winning numerous domestic and international titles, including the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France.
When Zidane took over as Real Madrid manager in January 2016, he replaced Rafael Benitez, and his first El Clasico saw his team overcome a 1-0 deficit to win at the Camp Nou. Barcelona, boasting an attacking trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi, was undone by goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Ronaldo’s late strike proving the match-winner despite Real being reduced to 10 men after Sergio Ramos’ red card.
Now, the tactical approach Zidane used in that pivotal match has been revealed, showing a clear focus on neutralizing Barcelona’s key threats, particularly Lionel Messi. A Reddit post, translated into English, outlines Zidane’s detailed instructions for his players during the game.
The strategy focused on pressing Barcelona’s build-up play, particularly targeting key players like Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Ivan Rakitic. Zidane’s instructions included:
– Cristiano Ronaldo: Tasked with blocking passes between Barcelona’s goalkeeper and centre-backs, Ronaldo was to disrupt Barcelona’s build-up play.
– Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale: Benzema was to engage Busquets, while Bale was instructed to act as a secondary centre-back.
– Luka Modric and Toni Kroos: Both midfielders had the responsibility of preventing passes to Iniesta and Rakitic. Zidane particularly cautioned Kroos to stay alert to Iniesta’s deep runs, as Iniesta often sought to exploit space in the final third.
– Casemiro: The Brazilian midfielder was tasked with marking Iniesta when the playmaker dropped deeper to manage the game.
Zidane’s main objective was to disrupt Barcelona’s midfield dominance by closing passing lanes, forcing them to play wide and limiting their ability to penetrate through the middle. By forcing Busquets to play on the wings, Real Madrid could neutralize the threat from Barcelona’s attacking trio.
Most importantly, Zidane emphasized that **marking Messi was a team effort**. His positioning on the field determined the defensive setup, with each player aware of their responsibility when Messi moved into dangerous areas.
This tactical approach ultimately helped Real Madrid secure a memorable 2-1 victory over their arch-rivals, setting the tone for Zidane’s successful reign at the club.
