In a rematch of last year’s Champions League Final, Real Madrid crushed Juventus 3-0 in the first leg of their first leg quarterfinal draw. Ronaldo opened up the scoring in the first five minutes of play and then put the match away with a sensational bicycle kick goal in the second half. Juventus’ Paolo Dybala was sent off in the 66th minute and Marcelo would add a third for Real Madrid. Luka Modrić got the start and had a quiet game with Mateo Kovačić replacing him in the 82nd minute. Mario Mandžukić came on for the Italian champs in the 70th minute; but it was too little, too late.
Ronaldo Bicycle
thats it. thats the one. would be deadly. only problem is different formation than the players are used to. but probably potentially the one which gets the best out of the players we have. mandzukic would be a threat, kalinic, perisic, kramaric all would be a threat. rakitic would have all the space he wants. modric would be picking the ball up all over the place. vida would cover the space behind perisic. charlie would be able to dictate more and vrsaljko would give us his best work as a defender rather than auxillary winger
@LAknat
subasic; vrsaljko, corluka, vida; pjaca, modric, rakitic, perisic; kramaric, kalinic, mandzukic
its all about tactical balance:
mandzukic has a lot to offer in any position but there must always be a plan as to how to get the best out of players. cacic used mandzukic as a target man with rakitic close to him. mandzukic took position to facilitate a lay off to rakitic while perisic and brozovic where supposed to provide the width and penetration. it worked quite well especially against the czechs until the flares started.
when kalinic played against spain and in other games it gives the threat of a through ball which means the opposition defence has to back off a little allowing more space for our midfield in particular rakitic who struggles in tight spaces. a front 3 of kalinic, perisic and pjaca against spain gave us plenty of threat in terms of movement and pace in behind the opposition backline. this made life much much easier for our midfielders. which is how we beat spain despite modric not playing.
so these are TACTICAL considerations. its got nothing to do with club form, reputation, personality, or even relative ability. its about the different atttributes which different players bring to the pitch and how best to combine them in a way which gives a solid strategic platform for success. mandzukic, kalinic and kramaric are as different from each other in terms of what they offer as you can get.
tactically kalinic is the most rounded, thats why i think he is our first choice not our third. because he is a threat in behind, can work the channels and can link ok too. and is bright in the box.
it depends on the opposition but mainly on how we develop a cohesive, tactically balanced unit.
Kramaric is the best of the three players ability wise. he also gives us more enterprise and flair in the final third which we are lacking currently. so Kramaric has to play, but if he starts as our main striker it means we are playing with a false 9. the advantage of a false 9 is that it facilitates forward runs from midfield and wide areas. so you need players who want to get past the striker into the box to score/assist. we dont have any of those. maybe rog.. on the other hand we have perisic and pjaca who are more than capable of getting past the false 9 into scoring positions. so if kramaric starts up top it means we need perisic and pjaca to start on the wings and at least one of our 3 midfielders to push right forward past the backline on a regular basis. if thats modric then he ends up being the furthest forward of our players quite a lot. not sure thats his very best role.
in other words i would start kramaric on the right, perisic on the left and kalinic up top. that gives a good mix of attributes in the front 3, plenty of movement and threat. that allows our midfielders to get control of the game and create.
the best other option is 442 with kramaric and mandzu up top, perisic on the left and brozovic or pjaca on the right. modric + rakitic/kovacic/badelj centre.
or 343….perisic left mid. this allows the use of mandzukic in his juventus position on the left of a front three because the pace of perisic is just behind him there to overlap. could be deadly. it also alllows kramaric AND kalinic up top as well. giving us maximum threat in all areas. i believe LAknat has been calling for something similar for a while…..
😉
olic > mandza
Yup.
Mandžo needs to hit the bench and be Krama’s direct backup.
Kalinić can be third string backup (in case of any injury), and Duje Čop should never be called up again.
@Soul Champ
I agree about SMM.
He needs to be a #9, starter/sub depending on opponent and who else is healthy.
modric was key
someone remind me how valued mandza is at juve……………..
spare me the theyd be doing better with him
Anyone watching Udinese knows how Balic has been? he got another start today
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ screaming
Juventus vs Roma Final Champions Cup;’
at least Italy get their place in champions cup for redemption
Real Crodrid … ZDS!
In a strange universe at Juventus … Mandžukić role as LW header boy … makes him irrelevant for Croatia.
I rather see him off the bench as a center forward to either chase a goal or hold the lead with his ball hawking D.
He simply cannot play as a winger for us at the World Cup.
Kovačić is the X factor as Juve has nothing for him.
http://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2018/04/02/5ac25882268e3ec42b8b45e7.html