PROUD REAL RISES AFTER AN EARLY GOAL FROM A MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN EVER MONACO, EQUALISES THROUGH MERINO AND ENDS UP BOTTLING THEIR OPPONENTS IN A BOILING ANOETA
REAL 1 1 MONACO
Mikel Merino, chased by Aritz Elustondo and Aihen Muñoz, celebrates Real’s equaliser. Ruben Plaza
The 2021-22 season continues to raise similar questions for Real as it did a year ago now. And the Txuri-urdin team’s answers show a notable improvement, which has a double positive value: it shows that the team is progressing, and this takes on additional merit given the plague of absentees that plagues our squad. Imanol’s side drew yesterday at Anoeta against Monaco in a game they lost to Napoli last season, offering a sense of impotence when they found themselves behind on the scoreboard. Against the Principality side, meanwhile, a number of circumstances from that game were repeated, and the home side’s reaction had nothing to do with it. Was it the crowd? Was it the footballing growth that we have been highlighting in recent weeks? Was it both at the same time? The Blue and Whites were hit by the goal, got up and, after examining the few scratches, continued to do what they do best: compete. They equalised and deserved the win, bottling up a truly great team in the end, no matter how many rotations they introduced. A pity. A proud thing.
Last night, Real were faced with something they are already used to. At Zubieta, they prepare the games, study their opponents, analyze them, and then come match day, the opponent on duty modifies several of their usual patterns to adapt to the Txuri-urdin squad. We are talking about a constant in La Liga in recent times. But something like this was not expected in Europe, when facing a team with the personality that Monaco had been showing. In the Champions League, in the French championship, on the first day of the group stage…. No matter who they played, Niko Kovac’s men continued with a very recognisable behaviour that could not, however, be seen in Anoeta.
MATCH PLAN
Imanol designed his match plan. He left Le Normand out of the line-up, who has been carrying a lot of fatigue. He preferred Zaldua to defend Monaco’s left side, a priori their strong side. He distributed the strikers, giving the position of nine to Portu. And, for the rest, he put together the expected eleven. Meanwhile, what did take us by surprise, like the coach, was the opposition’s approach, not so much their line-up, which also took us by surprise. Kovac left Ben Yedder, Volland and Gelson Martins, three men up front, on the bench and introduced Boadu, Diatta and Jean Lucas into the starting line-up. Beforehand, looking at it man for man, the visitors could be ordered according to their usual 4-2-3-1 formation. And then they did something else. They played a more conservative 4-5-1. Although, at the end of the day, the scheme was the least of it. It was, rather, a question of idea.
The Monegasques hardly initiated short play. They were very selective in their high pressing. And they were dedicated to blocking all of Real’s interior corridors, with a line of five midfielders that was impenetrable at times. When Fofana went for Zubeldia (left-footed centre-back), a door was opened to find his back through Aihen’s pass from the wing. When the winger Diop was encouraged to press Aritz, Zaldua became an attacking outlet from his position. But, in general terms, every metre advanced cost blood, sweat and tears, even if Januzaj’s long-range shot almost went into the top corner of the net in the first few minutes of the game.
Things looked tough from the start. And it got even worse when, in the 11th minute, Disasi headed home a corner that Monaco had generated from a throw-in on their right wing. Sidibé and Boadu found Fofana in the eight-yard box and the latter’s cross was turned away for a 1-0 lead. It was time to row. But, despite a subsequent scare with Jean Lucas, with an unorthodox clearance by Remiro, Real didn’t lose their nerve. They kept trying with personality. They continued to press to regain the ball as soon as they lost it. And it was precisely in this way, launching transitions after a steal, that they troubled the visitors in the first instance. A good defensive move by Zaldua set up Portu for Oyarzabal, whose shot went wide. And, close to half-time, a shot from Aritz at the far post from a free-kick, as well as a close-range effort that the Murcian was denied at the last moment, brought the equaliser close.
FROM THE RIGHT
At half-time, however, the overall tally of chances was not entirely faithful to what was seen on the pitch. And the fact is that the match said that Real had a rock in front of them. Fortunately, Imanol found a way, little by little, to gradually break the deadlock. Already during the first half, he had made ostensible gestures, directed at his players, to direct the attacks towards the right. And the calm in the dressing room at half-time allowed the coach to give more precise directives. As we have already mentioned, Monaco’s left winger, Diop, often left Zaldua to press Aritz. This is where the coach saw a vein of potential.
From the start of the second half, Real turned much of their play to the San Sebastian and Januzaj. Zubimendi was pushed back to the backline to draw the attention of an additional midfielder. And the Txuri-urdin found several clear deliveries for the Belgian, to whom Imanol seemed to ask for cross balls deep, on the turn, for the diagonals of Oyarzabal and Portu. It’s not that this renewed Blue and Whites’ performance generated an avalanche of chances, but it did tilt the field towards Monaco’s goal, who were now limited to looking long for their strikers. Nothing more. And there was still a lot more to come….
It was not long before Merino made it 1-1 from a corner taken by Januzaj. However, despite the equaliser, little changed in the scenario of the match. The opposition tried to close the door on Zaldua, leaving the aforementioned Diop with the local full-back, without pressing higher up. But Real had set up a system that, even without any inappropriate jumps from their opponents, continued to turn the field towards the Aitor Zabaleta stand. The introduction of Gorosabel for Zaldua, moreover, gave the Blue and Whites a point of lucidity and inside play in the problem area. And, as a result of the Gipuzkoa push, Portu and the Belgian winger, the latter on two occasions, came close to scoring the winning goal against an opponent that was deployed at the end with a back five. Anoeta ended up cheering, with the crowd on fire, in search of victory: as on the big nights, against a Champions League team, no matter how much they rotated and with a list of Txuri-urdin casualties. Yes, Imanol, the fans left proud. And also somewhat saddened by the draw, which is a good sign. Now this club, fans included, also has its heart beating in Europe.
