Tactical Breakdown Reveals Two Key Reasons Behind Real Madrid's First-Half Collapse vs. Barcelona

Real Madrid's disastrous first half against Barcelona in the Supercopa final saw them concede four goals, trailing 4-1 by halftime despite an early lead.

A tactical expert from MindGameHQ has analyzed the game, identifying two critical factors that contributed to Los Blancos' defensive meltdown.

"Ancelotti's initial strategy relied on quick counterattacks, which worked well early on, even compensating for the lack of defensive effort from Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid capitalized on this approach to score the opener," the expert explained.

"However, their first attempts to press higher up the pitch exposed significant gaps in the center of the field, leading directly to Barcelona's equalizer."

The second issue highlighted was the vulnerability of Real Madrid's makeshift defensive duo of Aurelien Tchouameni and Lucas Vazquez.

"Even before the match, this pairing offered little assurance defensively, and their lack of cohesion was evident throughout the first half," the expert added.

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With these glaring issues exposed, Carlo Ancelotti faced a daunting task at halftime to address the defensive frailties and restore balance to his side.

The tactical shortcomings underline the need for adjustments to avoid similar collapses in future high-stakes encounters.

Source: AFP