In Saturday’s final, Real Madrid will focus on Brazilian winger Vinicius taking advantage of the space left by Liverpool’s right-back.
A cursory look at the predicted starting lineup for Saturday’s Champions League final reveals that the most important head-to-head encounter of the game is Vinicius v Alexander-Arnold, a battle for space and advantage that might determine Liverpool’s Or Real Madrid lifting the trophy in Paris.
Vinicius Jr. vs. Trent Alexander-Arnold: A fast left winger once morest a one-on-one right-back.
Liverpool’s key attacking weapon once morest Real Madrid’s most important counter-attacker. Neither might lock down the other, nor would they be able to complete their defensive assignments with complete success.
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This is also the key battle that best represents the tactical style of their respective head coaches and the 90-minute combat pattern.
Ancelotti, a tactician best at finding balance, has noticed his side’s relative weakness in 2021-22 and has wisely decided to pursue a purely counter-attacking approach in the Champions League.
Real Madrid’s right back, soaking up pressure for long periods of time, then using their best players to counter-attack in due course.
This was most evident in the two-legged tie once morest Paris Saint-Germain, when they wanted to limit Mbappe’s pace, a particularly extreme example of staying in a tight formation to draw PSG forward and thus limit the opposition’s speed advantage.
So it’s a safe bet that Real Madrid will once once more use this system once morest Klopp’s deadly attacking line, especially given that Liverpool’s high defences will look vulnerable this season as numerous Liverpool opponents (including Wolves) have proven .
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Vinicius is often the direct target of these long balls, made by Luka Modric or Toni Kroos when they have the ball behind the opposing midfielder.
A lot depends on whether Liverpool’s counter-attack is strong enough to squeeze space and block passes through counter-attacking.
If the ball gets to Vinicius, Arnold is unlikely to be in the right defensive position to stop him. Instead, this will be left to the right central defender and right midfielder to traverse and screen.
If Fabinho is expected to return from injury in time, that means Jordan Henderson may be able to carry out the latter task effectively.
Vinicius’ threat is mainly the result of Karim Benzema’s excellent performance, stemming from the very good timing of Real Madrid’s use of attacking transitions.
Together, the two are a huge blow to the opposition’s defence and Liverpool will be very passive when Arnold is beaten behind.
When Benzema takes the central defender to the left zone, Vinicius can make full use of the space in the middle to actively attack.
That combination is a serious danger for Liverpool, and that doesn’t even touch on the more obvious threat: dribbling one-on-one.
In this game, it is expected that there will be many such one-on-one opportunities, and this offensive and defensive transition rhythm is obviously beneficial to the faster Vinicius.
The fight between Vinicius and Arnold at the other end was just as crucial. The Brazilian is a hard-working player, but is not known for his defensive abilities.
In fact, Real Madrid are likely to defend in a 4-4-2, with Valverde returning to midfield when Vinicius stays high with Benzema.
That was at least the plan made before the game, but Ancelotti’s side probably won’t get it. Because Liverpool should be able to take advantage of the tussle between Arnold and Vinicius.
Klopp will definitely be aware of Real Madrid’s threat on the left and will choose to attack mainly from the other flank, with Dias and Robertson attacking Carvajal.
By doing so, Liverpool would drag Real Madrid to the other side of the pitch, forcing Valverde to strike directly, with Vinicius on the other side, in a 4-5-1 formation.
On this basis, through a wide range of transfers, Liverpool can find Salah and Mendy for a one-on-one contest, while Arnold ambushed on the side.
Vinicius would drop back to help in this situation, but he was unlikely to stop the Liverpool right-back’s cross.
This is the most likely tactical situation in the hour before the game if Liverpool are at their best.
Klopp’s side are stronger than Real Madrid and should be able to win easily, suppressing Real Madrid’s midfield and preventing the pass to Vinicius.
But Ancelotti may still have his back, making the crucial matchup in Real Madrid’s favor.
Camavinga has come off the bench in each of Real Madrid’s last five Champions League games and has had a major impact on the situation.
The 19-year-old Camavinga, with his aggressive passing and subtle dribbling, tends to break the game. Liverpool, following a fatigued season, may not be able to deal with such a powerful shock at the end of the game.
If the situation develops like this, Camavinga can replace Vinicius to further exploit the open area behind Arnold.
Technically, Liverpool are the stronger team. However, Real Madrid are the smarter and more adaptable team. Klopp is off to a good start, otherwise the result may not be too good, and he needs Arnold to gain a decisive advantage in the fight once morest Vinicius.
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