Champions League performance insights: Real Madrid's mid-block

"Real Madrid are not afraid to go into a mid-block or even a low block to defend," says Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a member of UEFA's technical observers' group, as he reflects on the Spanish champions' strategy out of possession.

Van Bronckhorst, a former UEFA Champions League-winning defender with Barcelona, was in Bavaria last week to watch Madrid's 2-2 semi-final first-leg draw at Bayern München, and on that night, as in their quarter-final game at Manchester City, the visitors' defending in a mid-block emerged as a highly significant feature of their performance without the ball.

So far in this 2023/24 knockout stage, Madrid have averaged a 43.8% share of possession. At Bayern last Tuesday, that figure was 48.7%, and during their time out of possession in Munich, they spent more than a third of it – 38% – defending in a mid-block, as shown in the graphic below.

Madrid are not the only side doing this – marking spaces, rather than players, is a trend in the Champions League generally, according to the UEFA performance analysis unit. The question here is how Carlo Ancelotti's men are doing it successfully. To do it well demands, first and foremost, a compact shape, according to Van Bronckhorst, the former Feyenoord and Rangers coach. "If you are in a mid-block, you are defending the space, so normally you are very narrow and compact," he says.

"It is very important to block the lines, especially to the midfield players who are moving in between the defence and midfield lines," he continues, and the video below offers an illustration of how Madrid sought to achieve this in their game at Bayern.

With Madrid set up in a 4-4-2 defensive shape, we see Toni Kroos orchestrating the players around him, ensuring the back four are set. Then the whole team shifts across zonally before squeezing up the pitch, with their ability to close the angles forcing Bayern to play backwards.

However, at the elite level of the game, each club has players with the individual quality to get between the lines – something which happens as the sequence unfolds further. "Nowadays, you see a lot of players who are used to playing between the lines – players like Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané," notes Van Bronckhorst. "You have to make sure it is clear to your team what their tasks are."

This brings us to one particular aspect of the defenders' task. The biggest threat to a team defending in a mid-block is usually from opposition runners breaking into the space behind. And when they do, the defenders must be able to respond instantly. From an educational viewpoint, this means being in a position which allows them to accelerate quickly, as Van Bronckhorst outlines.

"As a central defender, you always have to be aware that the ball can come behind you, so you must consider your body positioning," he says. "Are you able to run straight towards your own goal? Your body always needs to be at an angle.

"If your opponent has a run on goal from midfield, he will be at full speed. And if you have your back to goal, it can take a while to turn first and then accelerate, and those split-seconds can be vital. That's why you see defenders now standing on the half-turn so they can already sprint."

On this point, it is worth reviewing Antonio Rüdiger's covering role in the video to see his sideways-on stance before he hares back in pursuit of Harry Kane. Given that the average height of Madrid's defensive line was 35.7 metres – as illustrated by the graphic below – this readiness to hit the ground running is vital.

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'When the ball moves, the team moves'

To return to the initial point about keeping a compact shape, the second video below displays Madrid doing just that. It shows that there is only 21.8m between substitute Brahim Díaz, the highest-placed Madrid player, and Rüdiger at the back. Within their narrow back four, meanwhile, just 44m separates the full-backs.

The objective of the team defending in this structure in a mid-block is clear, attests Van Bronckhorst. "When the ball moves, the team moves. As a block, you have to move and keep it narrow and make sure you defend well as a unit."

With his coaching cap on, the former Feyenoord, Arsenal, Barcelona and Netherlands full-back offers an example of how to prepare a team to defend as Madrid are doing.

"The first thing you do is drill the movements, so if the ball moves, the team moves. And if you're working with units, maybe another group moves the ball and you concentrate as defenders on where you have to be when the ball is in certain areas. So, if I'm a left-back and the ball is on our right side, I have to come in and make sure the distances between me and my centre-backs are not that big and, similarly, the distances with my midfield.

"For players, it is easier when it's clear what their tasks are," he adds. "When a certain player from the opposition has the ball, your team need to know who is responsible for that player. For example, if their left-winger has the ball, it is the right full-back, though it can be that a midfielder needs to cover the inside."

Another question to consider is when to press – and deciding on specific trigger moments. "When is the moment we will start a full press?" asks Van Bronckhorst. "It might be a ball from the opposition central defender to the full-back, or a ball to the No6. It also depends on your opponents' strengths. If they have a six who is always playing balls through the lines, you don't want to give him space. But if it's a player who always plays from left to right, that is not so dangerous when he has the ball.

"You train it, you watch videos and then the players are prepared to come in," he explains, before giving a final reminder that it pays to be prepared for two things above all. "Especially in the mid-block, you concentrate on the balls into the midfield and the long balls behind your defence."