Alvaro Morata and Mateo Kovacic Early Beneficiaries from Zidane’s 4-4-2 Switch

Real Madrid’s pre-season programme started in disappointing fashion in the International Champions Cup, losing 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday in what was the Spanish side’s first match since they won the UEFA Champions League in May.

Naturally, the result won’t be of too much concern given it was Real’s first match and PSG were further along in their fitness work than Zinedine Zidane’s side, but there were still points to take from the game from Real’s point of view—both positive and negative.

A tactical switch gave a hint as to what lies ahead once competitive action begins, and the best early individual signs came from new striker Alvaro Morata and midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Early movement

Having played 4-3-3 throughout Zidane’s first half-season in charge, there was always going to be an element of expectation that the boss required an alternative system. He needs to cope with opposition who repel the three-man Real attack and also incorporate different members of his squad who thrived in different roles—particularly outside the first-choice front three.

As a result, it was no real surprise to see a changed formation on Wednesday as Real Madrid began the game with a 4-4-2, hinting at hours on the training pitch to ensure both good shape out of possession and movement between the lines on the ball.

Such attention to positional play didn’t immediately translate to aggression and concentration in defence, which was left wide open and penetrated to devastating effect in the opening 200 seconds—but Real did begin pressing high after the initial setback of conceding.

The amount of changes at half-time and the personnel involved thereafter—Castilla players and one or two who may be loaned out—means only the first 45 minutes held any real significance for Zidane’s team.

Despite a 3-0 scoreline …

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