How Arsenal aided Real Madrid’s UCL victory over Man City | OneFootball

An insight into the thought process behind Real Madrid’s tactical setup against Manchester City on Wednesday night has been forthcoming online.

Real, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

As much comes owing to a penalty shootout downing of the aforementioned City, on the back of a hard-fought 4-4 aggregate stalemate.

En route to sending the reigning champions packing, the stark contrast between the manner in which Los Blancos took to the pitch in the two legs came in for widespread discussion.

After his side played their part in a pulsating six-goal thriller in Spain’s capital, Carlo Ancelotti opted to completely shift his approach at The Etihad, defending deep, allowing their hosts the ball, and attempting to hit on the break when the game allowed.

Though not always pretty on the eye, it is hard to argue with the results, with Real Madrid’s compactness having for the most part kept a talent-packed City outfit at arm’s length.

And, as has since been confirmed, much of the inspiration for the change in setup opted for by the coaching staff at Valdebebas came courtesy of one of Manchester City’s Premier League rivals.

The outfit in question? Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal faced off with the Citizens late last month, battling their way to an impressive share of the spoils in a goalless stalemate.

And, as revealed by Marca, this proved the blueprint for Real’s display on Wednesday, with Davide Ancelotti and Francesco Mauri having spent countless hours in the weeks leading up to the clash studying and analysing the approach of the Gunners.

Their compact defensive setup in turn set out to mirror that of the Gunners, a feat achieved by the likes of Antonio Rüdiger, Nacho and Dani Carvajal in frankly remarkable fashion.

Conor Laird | GSFN