3 reasons why Atletico Madrid will beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup
2. Lopetegui’s attacking set-up
During his time with Spain, Lopetegui utilised a variety of formations to get the best out of his team, but they always prioritised attacking creativity rather than defensive solidity. He is likely to stick with these principles in his tenure at Real Madrid because of the talent throughout the team, which enables him to take risks defensively.
This presents Atletico with an opportunity, though because Real won’t be a cohesive functioning unit as mentioned above so mistakes are likely and Los Colchoneros excel against creative sides. Diego Simeone has created a well-drilled unit which implements his vision perfectly due to the time spent working on the defensive shape on the training pitch. Each individual knows their role expertly, so they can absorb large spells of pressure and transition quickly.
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Los Blancos have mainly used a 4-2-3-1 formation in pre-season with Toni Kroos and Casemiro likely to be used as the two-man midfield due to being back longer than Modric. Lopetegui is notorious for being a big fan of Isco, which means he’s likely to build a team around him and his best position is as a number 10, so this formation suits him. However, it breaks up the three-man midfield which was integral to Real Madrid’s recent success.
A 4-3-3 set-up was also used in the pre-season match against Roma, but this would either mean Isco playing in the three-man midfield or out of position as a wide playmaker. He could drift inside with Marcelo playing high as he usually does, but that leaves a large hole for Atleti to exploit on the counter. A two-man midfield of Kroos and Casemiro is also risky because of how it could be overrun through Atleti’s pressing as well as their ability to take advantage of Kroos’ lack of pace through quick transitions.
Kroos and Modric would be an excellent midfield for controlling games, but they would struggle to break up attacks in their defensive shape without Casemiro and would also be susceptible to counter-attacks due to the weak centre. They are also dependent on the attackers doing the necessary defensive work, irrespective of the formation, to ensure they are a unit rather than two separate parts. Therefore, Lopetegui has issues to solve and there is likely to be a major area for Simeone’s team to target regardless of how Real Madrid set up.