La Liga: The Madrid derby- A clash of two footballing philosophies

43 months- that’s the exact duration since Real Madrid last beat their crosstown rivals in a La Liga clash. Although they beat Atletico Madrid in the coveted Champions League finals, but in recent past, Los Rojiblancos have posed more than a threat to their much decorated city counterparts.

Whenever they have met recently, Diego Simeone’s men have upped their game by a couple of notches. Whereas from Jose Mourinho to Carlo Ancelotti, nobody has quite found the formula to subjugate the compact discipline of the red and whites.

Ahead of their first clash of the season, injuries are the major pricking thorn for the Los Blancos. Toni Kroos is out for a long period after sustaining a foot injury. Casemiro, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema are due to return from their long hauls but remain doubtful starters.

Real Madrid is at the top of the table, but their leaky defence has been a cause for concern. They have conceded 10 goals in 11 matches. Barring Danilo, the entire defensive unit has been hit badly by frequent niggles and injuries. Consequently, the cohesive factor has gone for a toss.

Their defensive woes have been worsened by the dismal form of the goalkeepers. Keylor Navas, the man who was instrumental in Real Madrid’s La Undecima has kept only one clean sheet in 8 games. On the other hand, Kiko Casilla has been anything but a revelation under the goal.

All eyes will be on Ramos who is set to return from injury image source: www.marca.com

To add to this, the absence of Toni Kroos is a definite body blow for the Madrid central midfield. Kroos, albeit not great defensively makes it up with his astuteness and keen sense of positioning. Against a team, who tend to press hard in the midfield, the German will be sorely missed.

To counter this, a 4-3-3 formation with Modric, Mateo Kovačić and Casemiro will allow the Croatian to go forward to break the resolute Atleti defence. Alternatively, a more conventional 4-2-3-1 could see Modric and Kovačić in the pivot and Isco/James Rodríguez slotting behind the striker.

Much of Real Madrid’s defensive woes have been overshadowed due to the explosive form upfront. Cristiano Ronaldo, despite not being in best shape, has already netted a hat trick this season. Welshman Gareth Bale has rattled the wing backs with his dazzling form. Zidane’s clever utilization of Alvaro Morata has complimented the attacking triumvirate effectively.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand started their season brightly but suffered a setback, losing 2 out of their last 3 liga matches. Currently, they are 6 points behind the leaders Real Madrid. Atleti will be desperate to get back to winning ways against city rivals.

The major strength has been their miserly defence who have kept the goals at bay. But, Jan Oblak’s back injury will keep coach Simeone worried for tonight. Atletico looked to solve their over dependency on Antoine Griezmann with the purchase of Kevin Gameiro. The shift was felt immediately as they scored more than four goals in their last four home matches.

Atletico Madrid have their three pronged attack to pounce on Real image courtesy : www.lexpress.fr

But their transition towards a more attacking brand of play has not been easy. The toil has been evident from their two losses in the last 3 games. Gameiro has scored 5 times in 15 games and would be itching to add to his tally.

Yet the pacey attacking trio of Griezmann, Gameiro and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco will definitely fancy their chances against a injury stricken Real Madrid defence. High pressing and intensity has been Atleti's success factors. Diego Simeone would look to repeat that against a depleted Madrid defence.

The Atletico backline would be hoping to keep Ronaldo and Bale off the scoresheet as has been in the last 6 Madrid derbies in La Liga. It remains to be seen, whether Zidane can succeed where his predecessors have failed miserably.

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