For decadent, deficient Real Madrid the problems start in midfield | Jonathan Wilson
September 26, 2019The team were incapable even of the basics against PSG and it is a wonder Spanish clubs have not exploited the weaknesses more
As Thomas Meunier and Juan Bernat capered through the open savannah that archaeologists believe was once populated by the Real Madrid midfield, the mind was drawn to another Parisian night two and a half years ago, when ngel Di Mara orchestrated an even more emphatic victory for Paris Saint-Germain over a Spanish side. As it turned out, that 4-0 win over Barcelona didnt turn out particularly well for PSG but, more generally, what on earth is going on with midfields in La Liga?
On a night when Atltico twice conceded goals on the break at home to Juventus, the issue seems particularly acute. Last season the big three Spanish sides leaked three or more in games against Liverpool (Barcelona); CSKA Moscow and Ajax (Real Madrid); and Borussia Dortmund and Juventus (Atltico). In each case the major problem was the same: a ponderous midfield being shredded in transition. There had been glimmers of the issue the season before, in Real Madrids defeat at Tottenham and Barcelonas embarrassing collapse in Rome, which itself had been foreshadowed by the problems theyd had against Chelsea in the previous round.
In that sense Di Mara, a player who carries the ball on the counter as well as anybody in world football, is kryptonite to a Spanish midfield or even, as Bayern found when Di Mara, still playing for Madrid, devastated them, to a midfield managed by a Spaniard. The sense lingers that Di Mara never quite gets the credit he deserves.
Although his contract demands were perhaps excessive, Madrid might have made more effort to keep hold of him had he been more obviously charismatic and not borne such a striking resemblance to Franz Kafka. Di Maras time at Manchester United was scuppered by the wider sweep of the clubs decline and struggles with settling in, exacerbated by a burglary at his home. With Argentina, he is a useful scapegoat, largely because he is almost always there, coaches liking his diligence even though the team, not unreasonably focused on Lionel Messi, rarely play in a way that would get the best out of him.
With PSG, Di Mara is overshadowed by the star quality of Neymar, Kylian Mbapp and Edinson Cavani. Not for the first time, it was apparent without the three on Wednesday how much better they are when the celebrity worship is toned down and they function as a team. That said, Madrid did everything they could to make it easy for them.
The one-two that released Bernat in the buildup to the first goal was neat, but was it really enough to bypass Dani Carvajal that straightforwardly? Raphal Varane was then drawn towards the full-back, leaving a huge gap for Di Mara to move into as der Milito, who had a dreadful game, failed to cover. Di Maras strike for the second was powerful and accurate but why was he afforded so much room five yards outside the box? These are basics of defending. By the time of the third, Madrids midfield had collapsed completely.
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