3. Tactical Flexibility from Zidane’s Men
When Real Madrid faced Atletico, they were missing tons of key players such as Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Alvaro Morata while Karim Benzema was not fit enough to start.
However, Zidane switched up a lot of things and fielded a 4-4-1-1 with Ronaldo as a lone striker and Isco right behind him. Gareth Bale and Lucas Vasquez occupied the wings while the Croatian duo of Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric sat in the middle of the park.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
His tactics worked out brilliantly and his side not only won the match by three goals but also totally outplayed their city rivals.
This was just an example of how Zidane is not afraid to shuffle his cards, while the players are flexible enough to play in different systems when needed.
The likes of Toni Kroos, Alvaro Morata, and Gareth Bale are not fit enough to play tomorrow. Still, Madrid have shown enough times this season that they can get results no matter who is missing from the squad or what system they are playing in.