2020-21 Champions League Rewind: Revisiting What Happened Against Chelsea

Real Madrid were uncharacteristically and surprisingly dominated in the semi-final tie against Chelsea last season. Zidane’s men did not have any fruitful answers for the London team’s pace, sharpness and physicality.

Caley Graphics Twitter

Taking a second look at how Los Blancos were decimated by Chelsea on the latter’s way to the trophy makes for an interesting sombre review of a dark spot in the season. Despite other losses in recent years, it is rare for Real Madrid to be as significantly outplayed and outmatched on the field as reflected by the monstrous xG scoreline.

Lack of Horizontal Compactness and Disoriented Shape

Real Madrid’s implementation of the 3-5-2 formation in the tie was central to one of the key vulnerabilities exploited by Tuchel’s men. The lack of horizontal compactness in both the first leg of the tie and especially at Stamford Bridge allowed Chelsea to vigorously penetrate half spaces - particularly in transition and in response to Real Madrid’s broken press which Kiyan Sobhani covered in his Managing Madrid column. This tactical dynamic created a midfield vacuum which exposed Casemiro as the wingbacks were often stretched out too wide and his midfield partners were caught up field.

"Chelsea did a terrific job of stretching Madrid’s defence over the course of the game. One way which they managed to do this was by creating an overload on Casemiro before then drawing the centre-backs out of the back line, and exploiting the space either behind them or either side of them." - David Seymour, Total Football Analysis

The second half of the first leg in Madrid was likely the best evidence of how much of a difference being horizontally compact could be. Real Madrid adjusted their shape and positioning to a more conservative set-up which enabled them to counteract Chelsea’s deadly pace and combat their midfield overloads.

Tactical Line-up: UEFA Match Info | Expected Goals Map: Infogoal website

"Saliently, Zidane asked his tenured midfield to sit in front of the back five and restore shape, essentially stifling Chelsea [...] Casemiro especially was a lot more useful when sitting in front of the defence in taking more control and balance of the midfield, this was more in line with the tactics we thought we would see from Madrid with the midfield positioned a lot deeper." - Dharnish Siziak, Breaking The Lines

This proved to be Los Blancos’ most secure period over both legs as they limited Chelsea to their lowest xG total of the four halves. The team’s failure to learn from this model (despite its attacking deficiencies) was costly.

Chelsea’s Vibrancy and Real Madrid’s Depleted Squad

Another factor that was clear during the tie was Chelsea’s athleticism and pace. The Blues attacked with fervor and seemed a step ahead of their opponents physically. There were countless scenes — of a number of Chelsea players including Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kanté bursting down the field — likely burned into the minds of Madridistats.

Minutes accumulation of key players in the lead-up to Champions League semi-final.

While part of this was a systemic issue, there was an element of Chelsea’s pure energy outmatching Real Madrid’s. The latter’s injuries (including the fullbacks’ gamechanging absences) and heavy reliance on the old guard meant that there was a notable gap in intensity.

The average age of Real Madrid’s starting midfield (including wingbacks) and forwards across both legs was approximately 30 compared to Chelsea’s 26. This along with the aforementioned injuries which caused Zidane to completely adapt his standard approach (four defenders) were influential factors in the outcome of the tie.

Kante and co were really, really good

The hardest (or easiest with the benefit of hindsight) pill to swallow may be to simply admit that Tuchel’s version of the 2020-21 Chelsea team was an incredible team; driven by the prodigous Kante who was named man of the match in the final. While their semi-final triumph over Real Madrid was perhaps their most pronounced show of dominance, it wasn’t necessarily an anomaly or out of line with their performances in Europe last season.

The xG Philosophy Twitter | FootballJOE Twitter

Chelsea set a number of impressive records including the lowest number of goals conceded for a Champions League winner. In addition, they were only behind for five minutes (!) across their entire campaign. They also held perhaps one of the most offensive renditions of one of the most offensive teams in Machester City to their lowest xG of the season, and second lowest of the Pep Guardiola era in England. While Chelsea’s seemingly unstoppable train provides little consolation for Real Madrid’s elimination, it adds valuable context to one of the most one-sided defeats the club has faced in the Champions League in recent times.