Champions League Performance Insights: How Liverpool shut out Madrid
Friday, November 7, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland and the Head of Coach Development at UEFA, Kris Van Der Haegen, analyse Liverpool's defensive plan and one v one defending against Real Madrid.
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Before arriving at Anfield on Matchday 4, Real Madrid had played 14 games this season and won 13 of them. Moreover, they had scored in every single one of them.
In Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, meanwhile, they had two players – as Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told his players – with 24 goal contributions between them in La Liga alone.
The accompanying instruction from the Dutchman, therefore, was clear: "If you want to have any chance to win, you have to make sure these two don't score."
To achieve that objective, Liverpool had a game plan for when out of possession which involved defending either high up the pitch or in a low block – and this is the focus of the following analysis from the UEFA game insights unit.
'No space in behind'
"I told the players that I wanted them either to press really high or go to a low block because Vinícius and Mbappé are, for so many reasons, incredible players – their deep runs, the timing of their deep runs, and their pace is next level so don't give away any space in behind."
This is how Slot explained his game plan afterwards and the video above, showing an early moment of Liverpool in a mid-block, illustrates the very threat he articulated. There is space behind and Madrid, with the speed of their forwards, almost exploit it.
"Press them really high and aggressive" was part of Slot's plan and the second video below offers a pair of examples of how they put it into practice.
As well as pressing high, Liverpool are seen defending the space behind the press. They maintain a good distance from back to front as they work hard to stop Madrid playing through as well as behind.
According to UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland, a key detail lies in the first clip which shows Liverpool squeeze Madrid to one side of the pitch.
Jalland explained: "Rather than go man to man, Liverpool wanted to have one extra defender because of the threat in behind of Mbappé and Vinícius. So the key was to squeeze Madrid to one side and keep them there. As you see in the clip, Mohamed Salah is one against two on the Real Madrid left but because they've managed to squeeze them to Madrid's right, they can go man to man on that side while having extra cover to control the space in front but especially in behind."
With this third video, the focus moves to Liverpool's low block. They keep a compact shape, controlling the spaces both between and in behind.
Jalland observed: "Liverpool did a very good job of controlling the space centrally with short distances and good angles between the players so there were very few passes through them. They wanted to force Madrid outside and then with their one v one defending were able to stop them."
As well as excellent one v one defending – of which more below – their full-backs had support from the midfield, as is seen in clip two when Madrid make progress out wide and Alexis Mac Allister responds superbly with a recovery run.
Bradley's big night
"He played 90 minutes with incredible intensity against Vinícius," said Slot when asked about the performance of right-back Conor Bradley after Tuesday's game. Even Madrid coach Xabi Alonso observed that "in one v ones we struggled to hurt them".
This final video provides a snapshot of an impressive display from the 22-year-old who gave the following reflection on the task of thwarting Vinícius Júnior: "Every time he gets the ball, he just wants to try to take you on. I was just trying to show him down the line on his weaker left foot and just try to get my tackles in and get the ball back off him as much as I could."
Clips one and two show him frustrating the Brazilian, while the final clip is notable for exhibiting his patience and composure in the box. In Bradley's own words: "I just had to be smart when diving in because you don't want to give away any silly fouls or get a yellow card."
Coaching tips: 1v1 defending
"His one v one skills were really, really impressive," said Kris Van Der Haegen, Head of Coach Development at UEFA, when reflecting on Bradley's performance against Vinícius Júnior – and the example it provides for young players and coaches.
When coaching young players, Van Der Haegen offers the following advice: "First, you have to think about the moment of pressure and your positioning: how far are you away from the striker when the ball is coming? How near are you when the striker receives the ball?
"This is crucial as if the winger receives the ball and you are ten metres away and he starts accelerating, then you're in trouble. It depends on the speed of each player and also his agility and his mobility, but I always say to them, 'You need to be as near as necessary to be two metres away from him when he receives the ball.
"Next, it's about having a good body shape and stance, being on your toes. You need a low centre of gravity so bend your knees and be on the balls of your feet. Also, to be able to change direction, you have to be side-on. You cannot change direction quickly if you are not side on."
'Eyes on the ball, not on the forward'
"Defenders must also learn to have their eyes on the ball and not on the movement of the attacker. I tell players to keep their focus on the ball, not on the attacker's feet or his hips or shoulders. The ball is the one who will tell you what's going to happen.
"Another element is patience. Don't try to get the ball immediately. You need to find the right moment. It helps to try to get the forward a bit of off balance or to wait for a small mistake. If you can direct him away from goal or on to his 'wrong' foot, that helps too. For that reason, it's important to know your opponent's preferences. Some players have two good feet but part of the individual analysis before a game should be on which is each player's favourite side. That way you can show him the other side.
"Finally, you need good communication with team-mates as there is a collective or relational part to consider too. How close, for example, is the central defender to the full-back to give cover?
"In the case of Bradley, the central defender was staying away and it was the midfielder who helped. In that case, where it’s the midfielder who is close, you should consider questions like 'How can we go from a one v one to a two v one situation?', with a player ready to cover you."
On the training pitch
"When working on one v ones, you are developing the offensive skills of the winger as well as developing the defensive skills of the full-back. Both need to benefit so it won't work if the full-back is defending against a winger who doesn't have the skills to test him fully, or vice versa.
"I would suggest a lot of repetitions in a small space. The full-back has to press and you could have a small goal for the winger to aim for if he wins the one v one, as well as a goal for the defender on the other side so that if he wins the ball back, he can go forward and finish too."
1v1 defending
• Pressure
• Positioning
• Posture
• Patience
Kris Van Der Haegen is the Head of Coach Development at UEFA.
Jan Peder Jalland is a UEFA Technical Observer and Norway Under-21 national-team coach.
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