Tactical Analysis of Every 2014-15 Champions League Quarter-Finalist

The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals are nearly upon us, and in preparation for the blockbuster ties, we bring you the definitive tactical analysis of each of the eight sides left in the competition.

From Atletico Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain, we've dissected each manager's formation and tactics to give you the lowdown on every team. How do Luis Enrique's Barcelona differ from previous incarnations? How has Laurent Blanc brought out the best in PSG? How have Monaco made it this far?

Read on to find out and equip yourself ahead of what is sure to be a brilliant two weeks of football.

Atletico Madrid

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Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are just as difficult to play against as last year; they're hard-nosed, stubborn and so compact it's tough to know where to start when trying to break them down.

It's a different back line to the one we saw last season, with Jose Maria Gimenez encroaching upon Miranda's game time and a revolving door existing at left-back, a position yearning for the return of Filipe Luis. Sometimes Cristian Ansaldi plays, sometimes it's Guilherme Siqueira. On some occasions, it's the right-footed Jesus Gamez. Either way, it's still solid.

The midfield is what makes this 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 so strong. Gabi and Koke are exceptionally intelligent players who close space and track runners to ensure no passes are open. They shrink the space between the midfield and defence so no opposing playmakers can thrive.

Simeone then plays a runner on one flank, typically Arda Turan, to travel with the ball out of defence, Mario Mandzukic as a target man to relieve pressure and Antoine Griezmann as a floating playmaker.

Atletico keep numbers back and put a lot of pressure on Griezmann to carve out chances, but he's responding to it well. He'll often try to win corners, as the entire team are deadly from dead-ball situations and score a high percentage of their goals through them.

If Griezmann wins a set piece and you see Godin and Miranda trotting up, you're basically 1-0 down already.

Barcelona

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The striking thing about Barcelona this season is how direct they've become—a much-needed change after years of relative mediocrity post Pep Guardiola. Luis Enrique has encouraged the changing of how the ball is moved forward, and in doing so, he has opened up new avenues to attack that get the best out of his peripheral figures.

They still play possession football, but Plan A is to pass the ball to Ivan Rakitic, who in turn passes into the feet or into the path of one of the vaunted front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar or Luis Suarez. All three options are incredibly enticing for the Croatian, and Messi has settled into a right-wing role to let Suarez play centrally.

Dani Alves and Gerard Pique have been seen hitting long balls from the back and into the path of Suarez this season too, underlining an emphatic change in what is now Barcelona's most potent method of attack. Suarez's ability to bend his run on the shoulder and finish calmly when one on one has won his side plenty of points.

Dani Alves is less of an outright attacker nowadays, but Jordi Alba still bombs forward on the left to create overloads. Andres Iniesta's low assist tally this season—just three, per WhoScored.com, is indicative of the shift to a more direct, Rakitic-centric style.

Bayern Munich

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One of many possible Pep Bayern formations.

Bayen Munich's tactical setup from week to week is giant question mark. Pep Guardiola's incessant tinkering with the formation of his team has reached new levels of ridiculousness.

He switches seamlessly between a back three and a back four—sometimes during a game—and has so much depth he can cope with a spate of injuries that would likely decimate any other squad.

The key questions are:

• Back three or four? Holger Badstuber's re-emergence has put pressure on Dante and Mehdi Benatia, who are some way behind Jerome Boateng in the pecking order.
• Philipp Lahm has returned to fitness, but is he back in central midfield or in his more natural right-back position? Xabi Alonso has been holding well in his absence, and Thiago Alcantara is edging back to fitness too.
• What's the order up top? Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are currently injured, so the Thomas Muller-Robert Lewandowski-Mario Gotze trio almost picks itself, particularly with Xherdan Shaqiri gone, but how would Robben and Ribery slot back in? Robben is a must-start, but Muller versus Ribery is tough to call.

Per UEFA, David Alaba is out of at least the quarter-finals due to partially torn knee ligaments. That throws another spanner in the works, as his ability to switch between central defence and central midfield, whatever the formation, is key for Pep.

Juventus

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In just his maiden year at the helm of Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri has done what Antonio Conte failed to do during his three years in charge: be taken seriously in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.

He's done this despite being drawn against Atletico Madrid in the group stage and Borussia Dortmund—who have struggled in the Bundesliga but put on some fantastic showings in Europe—in the round of 16. The secret to success? Switching to a midfield diamond.

The 4-4-2 diamond combines the bonus of having two strikers such as Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata with the unleashing of a midfield that rivals the best in the world. Allegri has some injury concerns to deal with, but he should only be missing Paul Pogba by the time the quarter-finals roll around.

The strikers' ability to interchange and hit the channels is key to attacking movement, and having midfielders as mobile as Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Roberto Pereyra is a luxury.

In an ideal XI, Andrea Pirlo holds at the base, Pogba and Vidal or Marchisio shuttle back and forth and Pereyra plays as an advanced destroyer (suffoco) behind the strikers. The lack of natural width encourages full-backs Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner to attack, but with age they've both tempered and, in fact, provide the perfect blend.

The switch to a back four has also been key; Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are backed up by some incredible depth in Andrea Barzagli, Martin Caceres and Angelo Ogbonna.

Juve can still defend deep and pack the middle better than ever in this formation, with the outside centre-midfielders' ability to fan wide to protect the full-back and surge forward to counter key. Tevez and Morata are constantly switching and moving, with the former still brilliant at collecting longer passes and turning toward goal.

Monaco

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Monaco are not tactically inspirational, but they are exceptionally solid, and the players know their roles. On paper, they're the worst side left in the competition, but the players thrive in a template that stops the opposition playing and opens up avenues to counter-attack. Leonardo Jardim has installed an identity, and it means players can swap positions and still perform at optimal level.

Out of a base 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1, the XI changes but the mentality doesn't. Aymen Abdennour is a monstrous centre-back and Fabinho—be it at right-back or deputising in midfield—is an astute player. They lean on the experience of Jeremy Toulalan, who ensures there are no gaps for the opposition to exploit between the midfield and defensive lines.

Dimitar Berbatov is in his element up front, playing the lone role and able to drift into positions to collect the first ball out of defence. His touch is still sublime, and he can free the speedsters Jardim places around him. Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, Anthony Martial and Nabil Dirar all run off the shoulder and hit the channels at breakneck pace.

Joao Moutinho raises his game in the Champions League and puts in grinding, hard-working performances, while Geoffrey Kondogbia is a mountain you do not want to see barreling toward you.

Monaco close the space, make it a war in the penalty box and counter with searing pace. They may be weaker on paper, but they are a nightmare in reality.

Paris Saint-Germain

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Paris Saint-Germain's tactics haven't really changed over the past 18 months; they've nearly always played from a base 4-3-3 to get the most out of key players, and although the odd 4-4-2 experiment has crept in, it hasn't stuck.

Many will look at star strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani or world-class centre-back Thiago Silva and believe they are the key areas, but they're not. The man who makes this side tick, or who takes them to the next level, is Blaise Matuidi.

The central midfielder tears around the pitch in a crazed fashion, committing himself to both defensive and offensive causes. It's his directness from the position and willingness to penetrate the box that gives PSG that extra edge in attack—the blunt force to their usual slick play.

They're very defensively solid, as the all-Brazilian first-choice back line is defensively conscious. Maxwell does his duties, and Marquinhos defends first. Thiago Motta holds and Marco Verratti controls, but this plan will be shredded by injuries ahead of the quarter-final.

How Laurent Blanc reshapes a usually high-intensity, yet organised side is an intriguing thought. Lucas Moura returning to the right side will ease the blow of losing Ibrahimovic to suspension too.

Porto

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If Julen Lopetegui is in charge, you can trust the formation will be 4-3-3. FC Porto have all the right tools to play this system, and the Spaniard has blended a wicked side capable of doing some serious damage.

Their width primarily comes from the two full-backs, Alex Sandro (left) and Danilo (right). They both defend when necessary, but their strengths lie in bombing forward and supporting attacks. They have a big target up front in Jackson Martinez, who has long been linked to the Premier League, per Sky Sports, and their crossing is of a decent standard.

In midfield, Lopetegui has taken cast-offs from bigger clubs and made them his stars. Casemiro is finally shining in the anchor role once held at this club by Fernando under Andre Villas-Boas, with the brilliant Hector Herrera providing strong running and guile. The spot next to Herrera is Atletico Madrid loanee Oli Torres' when fit.

That midfield three has everything you need: one anchor (Casemiro), one shuttler (Herrera) and one mediator (Torres). If you were plucking players from the entirety of world football, you'd struggle to find better-matched players for the positions.

Finally, Cristian Tello and Yacine Brahimi provide the perfect array of talent from the wings. Tello scores a lot of goals running off Martinez's flicks in behind, while Brahimi is the creator from the left and a set-piece specialist.

Real Madrid

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That 9-1 victory over Granada has changed the perception of Real Madrid at just the right time, restoring the fear factor they held between November and January after embarking upon a remarkable run of wins.

James Rodriguez's return to fitness is also a huge plus, as it became clear—despite the return of Luka Modric—that the Colombian's presence was sorely missed.

Carlo Ancelotti's preferred selection will be 4-3-3, with Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo (BBC) in place ahead of a Toni Kroos-Modric-James midfield. Isco's had a phenomenal season, but he should drop to the bench when everyone is fit.

At half-time against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, Ancelotti switched to a 4-4-2, placing Ronaldo and Bale up front and replacing Benzema with Isco (to play on the left). It worked an absolute treat.

With this tactical flexibility, Real Madrid are going to be a nightmare to play against; with Marcelo bombing forward, Modric linking the lines and James providing some much-needed physicality in the centre, they'll be difficult to stop.

Their one weakness remains their ability to shoot themselves in the foot—be it via placing themselves under too much pressure or arguing among one another.

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