The 2018/19 campaign was one to forget for Real Madrid. With a La Liga title race almost over by October and humiliation bringing their European dominance to an end, sights have been set on this campaign by most even before Christmas.
Embarking on a new season in 2019/20, there were plenty of reasons for optimism. The club acted quickly to swoop for long-term target Eden Hazard, a much-needed centre-forward in Luka Jovic, defensive reinforcements in Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao, and even promising youngsters Rodrygo Goes and Takefusa Kubo, all arriving before pre-season training even began.
Zinedine Zidane’s return was not straightforward, with experimentation in a number of tactical formations and set-ups at the tail end of 2018/19, so many held off making judgements until this summer. A disastrous pre-season has included defeats to Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Tottenham, as well as a penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal and another uncomfortable victory over Fenerbahçe. In the process, 16 goals have been conceded compared to 11 goals scored.
This scout report provides tactical analysis of Real Madrid, including a tactical preview of the 2019/20 campaign. This analysis considers the tactics deployed by Zidane as his team look to improve on their third-placed finish in 2018/19.
Zinedine Zidane Formation
It remains to be seen how Zidane will set up his Real Madrid team. In the past, the preferred tactic has always been the traditional 4-3-3, which led to three consecutive Champions League titles. However, signings and pre-season fixtures appear to suggest that Zidane may be prepared to mix things up.
4-3-3
This season marks the first time that there have been doubts about the 4-3-3 shape. The attacking trident of BBC is well and truly over, and it now looks as though it may be Hazard and Vinicius to step in.
In pre-season, it has also dominated, though that is thanks in part to an injury to Jovic and Zidane’s reluctance to field Mariano Diaz up until he found the net against Fenerbahce. Towards the tail end of last season, it was used less and less as the French coach considered his options.
