Liverpool vs. Real Madrid: Balotelli's Decision-Making Halts Fast Reds Start
Real Madrid destroyed Liverpool 3-0 on Wednesday, surviving a quick start from the Reds and coasting to victory on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema goals.
It served as a valuable yardstick to Brendan Rodgers for a number of reasons, but the match ended shrouded in controversy as the Mario Balotelli circus act took over.
Formations and XIs
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Liverpool began in a loose midfield diamond, with Raheem Sterling up top with Balotelli. Philippe Coutinho played at the point, Steven Gerrard at the base and Alberto Moreno came in for Jose Enrique.
Real Madrid played the same 4-4-2 used against Levante at the weekend, with Ronaldo central and James Rodriguez right. Raphael Varane came in for Nacho and Alvaro Arbeloa faced his former club.
Relentless Liverpool Early
Liverpool, starting in a loose diamond with Sterling up front, began ferociously and didn't give Real Madrid a minute's rest. High-energy pressing was the name of the game, forcing Toni Kroos and Co. into rare mistakes and errors.
Philippe Coutinho, playing as a No. 10, linked play fairly well to the forward line, but the Reds found most success running the ball through midfield and feeding the strikers directly.
It felt as though Liverpool were one blatant shove from Alvaro Arbeloa on Sterling away from a clear chance on goal early on, but then Mario Balotelli's exceptionally poor decision-making processes took over and harmed the home side's flow.
Time and again he made the wrong decisions in transitions, and eventually the Reds' momentum wore off.
Madrid's Class Shines Through
That's when Real Madrid's overwhelming quality began to shine through, with Cristiano Ronaldo in particular looking in ominous form once again. Carlo Ancelotti fielded the same loose 4-4-2 formation that beat Levante 5-0, with Ronaldo playing a loose role off the front in partnership with Karim Benzema again.
He was, in short, devastating.
Finding space between the lines, dipping in and out of the forward line and running in behind, he made life a nightmare for Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren.
His link-up with James Rodriguez saw the defence cleaved open for the first goal, and the Portuguese star fluffed two more chances to score. Isco, bombing forward from left-midfield in an all-action display, interchanged with him superbly all evening, giving Johnson in particular a tough night.
Second-Half Changes
Balotelli, a passenger in attack and ruining all of Liverpool's moves, was substituted at half-time—but not before he could swap shirts with a Madrid player in the tunnel, sparking outrage.
His removal saw Adam Lallana come on and Liverpool switch to a 4-3-3, with Sterling playing up front and Coutinho switching to the right flank.
On paper it was a 4-3-3, but in reality it was more like a back four, lots of empty space with people running around in it, and then Sterling, who continued to drift to the left and leave the No. 9 area vacant.
Coutinho jinked forward well and Sterling continued to offer a threat, but the moment Liverpool looked as though they were regaining fluency, Ancelotti shut up shop by switching to a similar 4-3-3.
Ronaldo came off for Sami Khedira to instigate the change, then Asier Illarramendi swapped with Toni Kroos to take up the central berth and close out the game. Three goals, three points, and Real Madrid decided enough was enough.
Quickfire Conclusions
- An open game saw Liverpool soundly beaten, but let's not forget this is the most expensively assembled team in the history of football. Calling for Rodgers' head is somewhat premature.
- Balotelli swapping shirts will dominate the headlines, but the real story here is just how good Los Blancos were.
- James had a bit of an off-game bar that wonderful assist, but those checking in for the first time and willing to make a snap judgement, think again. He's been great this season.
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