Real Madrid vs Paris Preview: Big Mac continues to fight monsters, "Old Qianfeng" is tested

The showdown that was supposed to appear at the top of the Champions League was moved to the stage of the Club World Cup semi-finals. The confrontation between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain is not only a 2.4 billion euro matchup, but also a comprehensive game between the two new and old UEFA Champions League overlords. This is a key node in the process of the French Ligue 1 giants chasing the great achievements of the "Grand Slam" and will also become a milestone battle in the initial stage of the reconstruction of the Galaxy warships.

[I've been playing elite all the way, this time it's Real Madrid's turn]

The league won 6 rounds ahead of schedule, which only kept the suspense of the French Cup final for 30 minutes. The Premier League was completed in the knockout stage of the Champions League, and the epic victory was recorded in the final. Many players became popular candidates for the Golden Globe of the Year... Paris Saint-Germain completed the strongest triple-champion crown journey in recent years, and was the number one favorite to win the championship in this Club World Cup.

The crushing game has been completed many times in the past six months, and Paris Saint-Germain has not relaxed its self-requirement. During the group stage of the Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain players and staff always clean the locker room after the game before leaving. The team criticized for being a distracted discipline has become history. Farewell to the hustle and bustle of the superstar era and ushering in a new era of relying on young players to pursue tactical trends. Enrique not only requires his subordinates to knock down their opponents at the technical level, but also to complete the real development of the temperament of a wealthy family, which coincides with the concept of the top leaders of Qatar.

defeated Liverpool, Arsenal and Inter Milan in the Champions League, and then defeated Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich after appearing on the Club World Cup stage. Paris Saint-Germain relied on the continuous victory of strong dialogue to highlight its signature. This temperament of becoming stronger and stronger is exactly what the Galaxy battleship lacks. In the 2024/25 season, Real Madrid lost 13 games in all competitions. They had no chance of winning against Liverpool and Arsenal, and all four national derbys were completely suppressed by their opponents.

Relying on young players to promote tactical experiments, Alonso adopted a step-by-step strategy.

As Real Madrid fell from the clouds, Ancelotti had no intention of trying new tactics, and overly indulged big-name players and ignored the growth of young players. The team gradually lost its former style and ended up with the result of being empty. First, he used the four-guard formation to complete the transition, and then gradually launched the three-guard formation to create simple and sharp tactics around young players. Xavi Alonso put his own mark on his new owner in a very short time. Even if Wyson missed this battle due to the suspension, Real Madrid still had enough confidence to compete with the strong opponent.

[Both offense and defense depend on the overall situation, Paris is not afraid of the main injury]

Both sides have important backcourt players absent in this game, and Paris has suffered even greater losses. Pacho and Lucas Hernandez were absent at the same time, and Enrique could only arrange for Berardo, who had been out of the battle for a long time, as the starting lineup. Of course, unlike Real Madrid, which relies too much on the defender's personal abilities in defense, Paris's defense emphasizes coordinated protection and is more dependent on the system. If the opponent wants to burn the war to Donnarumma and Marginhos, he must first pass the two defense lines led by Ottoman Dembele and Joao Neves.

Dueres does not seem to be suitable for the sudden arrow, and Paris needs Ottoman Dembele to serve as the starter.

Different from the split layout of "eight-man defense and three-man attack" in the Tuchel era, Enrique's team emphasized all attacks and defenses, and the mobility and transfer ability of frontcourt players are very important. During the Club World Cup, Ottoman Dembele was in average physical condition. Enrique arranged Gonzalo Ramos and Douai as the arrows in the sudden forward. The former had significantly reduced its power when pulling the side and retracing the midfield. The latter lacked the ball vision and overall view of the overall situation as a "pseudo-nine". Paris needs Ottoman Dembele to return to the top of the formation to control the overall situation. After winning the Champions League and the European League one after another, Nuno Mendes officially advanced to the world's strongest left-back. In the final moments against Bayern Munich, Ashraf's performance of breaking through double-teams and sending assists was impressive. The strong full-back combination is the strongest link in Paris.

From the Champions League knockout stage to the Club World Cup, the aggressiveness shown by the Paris full-back combination is impressive. In this game, facing Real Madrid, which uses the three central defender/five defender defense, Ashraf and Mendes will encounter more stringent double-teams when attacking, and Fabian Ruiz needs to help Joao Neves support the wing.

[New tactics are waiting for testing, Alonso ushers in his first big test]

Due to the lack of players familiar with the three-center-back formation under his command, Xavi Alonso did not rush to show his personal will after coming to Real Madrid. In the first two games of the group stage, Alonso used the 433 formation left by Ancelotti, and he tried the three central defender formation in the last stage of the game. In the third round of the group stage, Alonso officially launched the three-center-back structure, and Wyson, Gonzalo Garcia, Fran Garcia and Guerre became the system adhesives.

In the strong dialogue last season, Real Madrid repeatedly fell into an embarrassing situation of stalling and losing control. The players were dragged down by their opponents many times because of insufficient running ability. The aftershocks brought by the disintegration of the midfield combination of the ceremony continued. Real Madrid lost their proud midfield control

, but Enrique created the most competitive midfield trio in Europe in Paris. In the last round, facing Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain could still make a phased offensive without playing two in the last moment. Joao Neves and Vitinia's ability to withstand pressure is really amazing.

Alonso changed Real Madrid's defense structure, and the adjustment of the midfield combination was also eye-catching. Ancelotti once favored the four midfield combination, but unfortunately the four young players did not work well together. Bellingham and Valverde had to make up for the pot, and Camavenga and Joan Améni were forced to participate in the rotation in the backcourt.. Later in the season, Ancelotti tried to transform Guillail into a central defender, but at a critical moment (national derby in the second leg of the league), he failed to stick to this operation.

Five games, five MVPs, Real Madrid players have accepted the tactics of Xavi Alonso.

Alonso integrates the ideas left by his predecessor, and Joan Améni and Guerre form a joint force in the middle, the former's position switches between the drag-back midfielder and the drag-back center back, and the latter plays the role of Modric's successor. In the 1/8 final against Juventus, Joan Améni's accurate pass (79), successful top score (4) and successful interception (2) were the most times. In the next quarter final against Dortmund, Guerre sent two assists, with a pass success rate of 96%, winning the best player in the game. This pair of young middle combinations passed the test.

Paris Saint-Germain is in excellent form, but not yet to the point of being impeccable. Liverpool and Aston Villa have scored goals through short attacks, and Arsenal has also used grenade tactics to create chaos in front of Donnarumma. It is difficult for Paris's defense to continue to bear the blow when it loses the ball. The ability to control air control is obviously insufficient, which is where Real Madrid's opportunity lies.

Wyson is absent. Whether Alonso dares to stick to the three-center-back/four-back switching style will become the key to affecting the game trend.

When Yamal failed in the UEFA Nations League final, Ottoman Dembele almost won the Golden Ball of this year. In the past four Club World Cups, Ottoman Dembele gave up the starter qualification to the substitute player, while he was accumulating energy on the bench. Mbappe is also waiting for the opportunity to attack with all his strength. The two players in the focus may usher in the starting start of this Club World Cup at the same time.

Enrique is still worried about Gonzalo Ramos' state, and Real Madrid's regular center is already hot. In the group stage, he scored in the goal against Riyadh Crescent and Salzburg Red Bull, assisted against Pachuca, and scored consecutive goals against Juventus and Dortmund in the knockout stage. Gonzalo Garcia recorded 4 goals and 1 assist in five Club World Cup games, which is the biggest gain of the White Army in this trip to North America.

Last season, Real Madrid suffered from inefficiency in the tough battle, and the appearance of Gonzalo Garcia reminds people of the magical substitute Joselu that year. Facing the Paris defense line led by Marginhos and Berardo, Gonzalo Garcia (1.82 meters tall)'s movement and bounce ability will be of great use. If he can prove himself in front of the new Champions League king, the young forward will surely play a more important role in the new season.

【Summary】

In this season with extremely frequent schedules, many giants are exhausted in multi-line battles, and Paris Saint-Germain stands out based on lineup depth and schedule advantages. Since April, the French Ligue 1 giants have entered the "single-line" combat mode. Their performance in the Champions League final was amazing. They are still full of vitality when they came to the Club World Cup stage. Enrique's disciples have seen the opportunity to create history.

The giants PK Lao Qianfeng, the competition between two elite Champions League teams, Alonso's choice will become an important factor affecting the game trend.

In the middle of the 2022/23 season, after Xavi Alonso landed in the Bundesliga on the spot, he quickly completed a tactical demolition and construction. Leverkusen once suffered the embarrassment of not winning 6 games (3 draws and 3 losses). With a complete preparation period and a new player, Alonso's operations have become much more stable, and Real Madrid's performance in the Club World Cup has won praise from all parties. Facing the absence of important players, whether the young coach will continue to stick to the way of switching between three central defenders and four defenders will become the key to affecting the game trend.

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