Three Observations From Real Madrid’s 3-3 Draw With Manchester City

Real Madrid played out a 3-3 draw with Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, as they now need a win at the Etihad to get to the semi-finals.

It’ll be tough to narrow everything down to three points. So many thoughts…

Real Madrid’s performance in the first half had a lot of positives

Real Madrid, after starting off the worst way possible – a yellow to Aurelien Tchouameni and then conceding an early goal from freak circumstances – grew into the game and started punishing Manchester City’s high line, taking the game to them as everyone was hoping for. They clearly learned from their mistakes from the second leg last season. So much so that I was surprised this game didn’t end in a Real Madrid victory. Real were the better team; they created more chances, but they couldn’t make Manchester City pay, and that was devastating, because their performance, at least in the first half, was worthy of that.

But, this game, particularly the first half, gave Los Blancos the blueprint they need to set up for the second leg: Wide and high up the pitch to start with so that the goalkeeper is forced to play it straight to Erling Haaland, and then quickly recover possession and hurt their backline in transitions and through long passes. Real Madrid’s press was very good, and once it started to wear off, we saw City get back into the game.

Rodrygo on the left was fascinating to watch. He was Real’s best player in the attack, and did a lot of damage, and got surprisingly taken off in the 72nd minute. One thing, however, with him as well as most of the team — everyone was tracking back, closing their man down, the second the ball was lost. It was great to see Rodrygo, as well as others, start running back immediately subconsciously, almost like muscle memory, more than they’ve ever done before. The hunger to defend and get the ball back, at least in the first half, was visible.

While Toni Kroos was having another excellent game, bringing on Luka Modric for him was an excellent decision. Modric is the instigator of chaos, which was very much needed after going down 3-2. Modric helped a lot in taking the game back to City’s half, which forced them into giveaways they usually don’t concede, and also helped Real Madrid have more of an offensive approach to close out the game.

Eduardo Camavinga also deserves a lot of credit, and the fact that he will definitely start at the pivot in the return leg made this performance even more exceptional. With so much at stake, while also being a yellow card away from missing the second leg, Camavinga put in one great challenge after another, had so many interceptions, scored the first goal for his team, and delivered one of the best performances in his career in the biggest game of the season. Having him would be crucial in Tchouameni’s absence.

One more note: Watching City get pressed isn’t a common occurrence, and you could see that when players like Rodri and so many others gave the ball away after being caught off-guard by Real Madrid. Actually, dial it back to this past weekend, and you could see that, even against Crystal Palace, Rodri lost the ball three or four times in his own half after being pressed. He’s very press-resistant, but something about taking the game to City doesn’t sit particularly well with some of their players, and this must be used as an advantage at the Etihad.

The negatives: Not many, but can’t be ignored

Some of it actually isn’t Real Madrid’s fault completely. The first half was full of running and pressing from Real and they did lose their energy a little bit in the second half, which let City into the game. That needs to be handled better. There is a way to be conservative while also recycling possession or not giving away too much space in the defense. Real Madrid did a lot of that well, but failed to close out the gaps near the edge of the box – particularly in the second goal, where Phil Foden was very open – and they conceded two goals from it. Incredible strikes, of course, but it does make one wonder whether Tchouameni’s presence as the pivot would’ve prevented that from happening, because even though there was always a pivot present at every point, Tchouameni’s added security is crucial when it comes to chances close to the box. Obviously, those goals were very good either way, so there isn’t a lot that you can do about it.

Real Madrid did really well containing the chances they conceded from inside the box – keeping Manchester City’s xG to just 0.64 – but they have to limit the chances that they conceded outside the box, because there weren’t just two. Low xG chances can turn into goals when you’re facing incredible players like Foden or Kevin De Bruyne. It happened last season, the season before, as well. Real Madrid would need to act on this if they want anything from the second leg.

3-3 isn’t the worst result, but it also isn’t nearly the best. Frankly, Real Madrid could have (and should have) scored more than they actually did, and it came down to poor or rushed finishing, or odd decision-making from the forwards.

I also didn’t think Jude Bellingham had the best of games on the ball, though off the ball, he was generally sound, especially in the first half. There are things to improve on. The tie is not particularly ‘gone’, especially after the performance we saw today, but the fact that it’s at the Etihad next week is still a little concerning.

A shout-out to Antonio Rudiger

This game cemented Rudiger’s spot as the best centre-back in the world. I don’t think it’s particularly close this season. Consistent all year, excellent performances, one after another, winning headers, leading the backline, knowing when to take gambles and when to sit back, and most importantly, rising to the occasion.

Every performance I see from Rudiger makes me think it might have been his best one, but there was something about this performance that felt different. It felt like even though it might not have been his best – which you could argue that it was – it was definitely more important than most. Rudiger, much like the last time City visited the Bernabeu, was on fire. He pocketed Erling Haaland to perfection, closed down so many crucial chances, and played so many good long balls from the back. He was easily one of the best players on the pitch. His off-ball tracking, movement, and defensive awareness were incredible, and so were his statistics: Three tackles won, two interceptions, three clearances made, and took yet another victory in the war between him and Haaland.

Who knows where Real Madrid would be if it weren’t for Rudiger’s excellence?