We decided to make this article free to read. If you want to support our work, consider\u00a0taking a subscription<\/a>.<\/p>\n Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso bounced back from their loss against\u00a0Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in Riyadh Air Metropolitano.<\/a>\u00a0Since then,\u00a0Los Blancos\u00a0have managed to win six out of six games. In the middle of this run, Real Madrid edged past the\u00a0Old Lady\u00a0in the UEFA Champions League<\/a>, building momentum for El Cl\u00e1sico. The controversy fueled the atmosphere before the clash.\u00a0Real Madrid came out victorious<\/a>, expanding their lead to a five-point difference.<\/p>\n Since the end of September, Liverpool has been on a run of bad results. The Reds have lost six games out of eight, with four of them being in the Premier League. That saw Arne Slot\u2019s side be adrift by seven points with Arsenal. Inability to defend long balls and vulnerability in transition were the main issues Arne Slot had to put an end to. The return to the old setup appeared to be the getaway. As a result,\u00a0Liverpool tasted their first win in a while against Aston Villa<\/a>, gaining stability before Real Madrid\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Arne Slot made one change to the main eleven that started the Premier League fixture against the Villains. Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konat\u00e9, Virgil Van Dijk, and Andy Robertson formed the backline. Ryan Gravenberch partnered with Mac Allister in the pivot. Mohamed Salah hugged the touchlines on the right, whereas Cody Gakpo made way for Florian Wirtz on the left. Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 led the attack.<\/p>\n Xabi Alonso relied on the same setup that won him the game against Barcelona. \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o and Dean Huijsen paired in the middle of the defense. Federico Valverde and Alvaro Carreras acted as fullbacks. Arda G\u00fcler and Aurelien Tchouam\u00e9ni composed the midfield with Eduardo Camavinga as a right winger and Vinicius Junior on the left wing. Jude Bellingham operated behind Kylian Mbapp\u00e9.<\/p>\n Liverpool out of possession<\/strong><\/p>\n High up the pitch, Liverpool pressed Real Madrid in a 4-2-3-1 formation in which Salah and Wirtz narrowed inside to limit central access and jump onto the fullbacks. Ekitik\u00e9 and Szoboszlai engaged with the center-backs and screened G\u00fcler and Tchouam\u00e9ni, whereas Gravenberch occupied Bellingham between the lines and was ready to pounce on Tchouam\u00e9ni, with Mac Allister staying close to Arda G\u00fcler. At the backline, Liverpool tended to keep an extra defender against Real Madrid\u2019s front three.<\/p>\n When Real Madrid\u2019s center-backs picked the fullbacks, Liverpool executed a series of jumps. On the left side, Salah ran toward Carreras, and Szoboszlai stuck with Tchouam\u00e9ni. Ekitik\u00e9 readied himself to spring toward one of Real Madrid\u2019s center-backs. On the far side, Wirtz narrowed inside to keep tabs on Arda G\u00fcler. Mac Allister took charge of Bellingham, allowing Gravenberch to shift wide and Bradley to jump toward Mbapp\u00e9, who dropped in. The rest of the backline swung across to cover behind.<\/p>\n On the right side, Ekitik\u00e9 kept a close position with \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o, with Wirtz running toward Valverde. Salah shifted across to mark Tchouam\u00e9ni, with Szoboszlai occupying Arda G\u00fcler. Mac Allister joined the crew to provide support whilst Gravenberch tracked Bellingham across the pitch. Near the touchlines, Robertson stepped out on Camavinga, whereas Van Dijk, Konat\u00e9, and Bradley swept across.<\/p>\n 6th minute: Huijsen exploits Ekitik\u00e9\u2019s diagonal run to access Tchaoum\u00e9ni, who feeds Carreras near the flanks. Real Madrid\u2019s left back misses his pass toward Vinicius Junior, who moves deeper; however, Bradley\u2019s clearance goes back to Carreras. The latter clips the ball to Vinicius in a one-on-one against Konat\u00e9. Bradley immediately recovers to double up on the Brazilian winger.<\/p>\n In settled possession, \u00c1lvaro Carreras tended to invert and draw Salah inside to open up a direct passing lane between Huijsen and Vinicius Junior. That put the latter in isolated situations against Bradley, who limited the Brazilian\u2019s risk. In the low block, Gravenberch moved across to mark Mbapp\u00e9 in the left inside channel, which left Szoboszlai and Mac Allister overloaded by Real Madrid midfielders.<\/p>\n Arne Slot solutions to Real Madrid high press<\/strong><\/p>\n To overcome the hosts\u2019 man-marking high press, Liverpool center-backs split wide to expand the distance Bellingham or Mbapp\u00e9 had to cover before arriving at their targets. Ekitik\u00e9 dropped deeper as a free option, unlocking the diagonal passing lane between him and Konat\u00e9. The former switched the play toward the right side, where Szoboszlai joined the ball-side to distract Carreras and give Salah space to collect the ball uncontested. Huijsen covered behind Carreras, whereas Milit\u00e3o was still recovering. In the meantime, Wirtz moved infield, creating a numerical superiority with Ekitik\u00e9 around Valverde.<\/p>\n In the low block, Real Madrid defended in a 4-1-4-1 lineup. Arda G\u00fcler marked Florian Wirtz, who narrowed inside between the lines. Jude Bellingham jumped on Konat\u00e9, cutting off access to Gravenberch. However, Szoboszlai darted around Tchouam\u00e9ni, threading between Konat\u00e9 and Salah. The Egyptian winger found himself in a one-on-one situation against Carreras. However, he failed to dribble past Real Madrid\u2019s left back.<\/p>\n 23rd minute: Liverpool\u2019s buildup sequence against Real Madrid\u2019s man-marking high press. Mamardashvili finds Salah with a line-breaking diagonal pass. Bradley sneaks around Vinicius Junior to access the space between the lines. The former, with an underlaping run, receives Salah\u2019s pass and scampers forward. Vinicius Junior recovers; however, he fouls Bradley to prevent him from continuing forward.<\/p>\n Real Madrid had the numerical advantage in the backline to work the ball around Liverpool\u2019s high press. Nonetheless, the Reds tended to trap the hosts near the touchlines, with Robertson and Wirtz swarming around Camavinga to dispossess him and turn over. Twenty-five minutes in, Valverde halted Wirtz from capitalizing on the turnover and initiated a counterattack. Carreras picked up the ball and found Mbapp\u00e9 on the left side. The French striker fed Vinicius Junior, who waited for Carreras\u2019 overlap. Real Madrid\u2019s left back responded; however, Bradley successfully blocked off Carreras cutback.<\/p>\n One minute later, Liverpool retreated to defend in a low block with Gravenberch keeping tabs on Carreras in the left inside channel. Down the central corridor, Bellingham dropped out to draw Mac Allister\u2019s attention and stretch the space between the lines. Enter Tchouam\u00e9ni, who was left unmarked by Szoboszlai, but the French midfielder\u2019s shot wasn\u2019t enough to threaten Liverpool.<\/p>\n Real Madrid\u2019s man-oriented press enabled them to funnel the play sideways and force Liverpool to go long. Half an hour gone, Courtois swept behind the backline to clear Bradley\u2019s long ball toward Carreras. The latter\u2019s headed clearance landed at Bradley\u2019s feet. Tchouam\u00e9ni jumped on Szoboszlai, whilst Huijsen and Carreras shuffled wide toward Salah and Wirtz. As a result, the home team stretched the space between the lines for Bradley to prod a diagonal pass onto Ekitik\u00e9, who attacked the space between the center-backs. Liverpool generated a three-versus-three on the right inside channel. Real Madrid withdrew to their penalty box, allowing Szoboszlai space to shoot.<\/p>\n Real Madrid took advantage of Liverpool\u2019s hybrid press by baiting Ekitik\u00e9 to press Huijsen. Not only that, but the visitors\u2019 center-backs split wide, expanding the distance and overloading Wirtz on the right side. Meanwhile, Bellingham dashed deeper, creating separation with Mac Allister and providing himself as a free option. Nevertheless, the Argentinian midfielder immediately closed down Bellingham, stripping the ball away from him. Gravenberch picked it up and accessed the overlapping Bradley, whose cross was cleared by Huijsen.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, decreasing intensity might be a one-way ticket to disaster. To elaborate, Valverde tended to narrow inside and carry the ball around Wirtz. Camavinga withdrew down the flanks with Tchouam\u00e9ni and Bellingham shuffling toward the ball side. Real Madrid\u2019s trio worked the ball out as Wirtz, Szoboszlai, and Gravenberch allowed them space to navigate passes. Resultantly, Tchouam\u00e9ni infiltrated the space between the lines and fed Mbapp\u00e9 down the central corridor. The latter picked out Vinicius Junior, who failed to dribble past Conor Bradley.<\/p>\n In a medium block, Real Madrid\u2019s fullbacks operated close to the center-backs, attempting to shift Liverpool\u2019s defensive unit across. Meanwhile, Bellingham pinned Bradley on the left inside channel to free Vinicius Junior to receive Valverde\u2019s switch. Gravenberch shifted to provide support to Bradley, which freed Bellingham inside the box to collect Vinicius Junior\u2019s pass and dribble past Konat\u00e9 to fire a shot into Mamardashvili\u2019s body.<\/p>\n Long balls remained one of Liverpool\u2019s solutions to bypass Real Madrid\u2019s high press and medium block. Nearing the end of the first half, Mamardashvili clipped the ball toward Ekitik\u00e9 down the right half-space. The French striker, with Szoboszlai operating wide, overloaded Carreras. The former collected the second ball and pulled the trigger. Courtois, with a heroic save, denied the hosts\u2019 chance to open the score.<\/p>\n Florian Wirtz freedom to roam<\/strong><\/p>\n Florian Wirtz had the license to roam freely. He joined the crew in the middle of the park as Gravenberch stepped behind the block. As a consequence, Liverpool generated a three-versus-two situation in midfield. Additionally, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai switched positions, with the latter attracting Vinicius Junior to jump. By doing so, Bradley was the Reds\u2019 free option to work the ball out. In the meantime, Wirtz\u2019s run toward Huijsen pushed the latter backward to expand the space between the lines and open up a diagonal passing lane between Bradley and Ekitik\u00e9.<\/p>\n When operating wide on the left, Wirtz and Robertson pinned Arda G\u00fcler and Valverde near the touchlines. Camavinga moved to midfield in the second half, so he tracked Mac Allister when the latter darted deep on the left. Down the central channel, Szoboszlai tied Tchouam\u00e9ni\u2019s hands. Therefore, the Reds enlarged the distance between Real Madrid\u2019s double pivots for Gravenberch to sneak behind Bellingham. The latter had no choice but to foul the former.<\/p>\n 54th minute: Liverpool buildup sequence. Wirtz, operating between the lines, delays Camavinga\u2019s jump on Mac Allister. Konat\u00e9 exploits the situation by enticing Bellingham to press and pick out Mac Allister. Meanwhile, Bradley crept behind Vinicius Junior to unlock the progression. As a reaction, Real Madrid is forced to retreat, with Gravenberch functioning around Bellingham and exploiting the space between Tchouam\u00e9ni and Camavinga to slide the ball to Ekitik\u00e9. The latter lays the ball off to Szoboszlai, who is fouled by Tchouam\u00e9ni.<\/p>\n Five minutes later, Gravenberch moved behind Real Madrid\u2019s first line of the press to unlock the passing lane between him and Bradley. Tchouam\u00e9ni shifted across to monitor Wirtz on the right side, with Camavinga jumping onto Mac Allister. As a consequence, Szoboszlai remained free between the lines, whereas Ekitik\u00e9 had room between the visitors\u2019 double pivots to drop in and receive Gravenberch\u2019s diagonal pass. Ekitik\u00e9 threaded with Wirtz in a one-two combination, allowing him to scamper forward and find Salah on the right at the edge of the box. Milit\u00e3o cleared Salah\u2019s inswinging cross away.<\/p>\n Wirtz and Ekitik\u00e9 swapped positions on the left side, with the former pinning Milit\u00e3o inside and the latter pulling out Valverde near the flanks. That vacated the space behind the Uruguayan for Robertson to conquer on the underlap. Mac Allister deceived Arda G\u00fcler, exploiting his blindside to link with Ekitik\u00e9 and gallop through Real Madrid. Fortunately, Milit\u00e3o stepped out to cut off the pass toward Wirtz.<\/p>\n Real Madrid lack of numbers in the box<\/strong><\/p>\n Camavinga returned to function as a right winger with Mac Allister following him across. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 tended to join his compatriot on the right side, with Tchouam\u00e9ni and G\u00fcler penetrating the box. Liverpool overloaded the Real Madrid pair at the edge of the six-yard box. Hence, the Reds\u2019 center-backs easily dealt with the visitors crosses.<\/p>\n Liverpool sat in a 4-2-3-1 low block. Dean Huijsen tended to invite Szoboszlai to press and find Arda G\u00fcler around Florian Wirtz down the right inside channel. The Turkish midfielder dribbled past him and picked out Mbapp\u00e9 on the left half-space. The same rituals occurred, wherein Vinicius Junior carried the ball toward the cutback zone and played it toward the far post, where Robertson headed the Brazilian\u2019s delivery away.<\/p>\n Real Madrid found space around Liverpool\u2019s low block to work the ball out. Alvaro Carreras pushed on and underlapped Vinicius Junior. Salah tracked back to provide support against the Brazilian, with Gravenberch taking charge of Carreras. That evacuated the edge of the box for Vinicius to find Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, whose shot went wide.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LIV-VS-RMA-6TH-MIN-300x225.png\")
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