This is probably not the best time for Shakhtar to face Real. After a bit of a slow start to the season, Madrid have already entered early beast-mode. This includes the total pimp-slapping and revolutionary surgical smackdown of Espanyol with everyone's favorite footballer...Cristina Ronaldo getting FIVE of the goals. Oh, and this is the same Shakhtar that sneaked in through the back door when Rapid Vienna were close to knocking them out.
Yeah...should be a close match.
What I always try and advise teams that are about to face the big clubs, is to focus on a defensive strategy. Scoring comes later, the most important thing is to not be three down after ten minutes. So this means having to employ some sort of a man-marking system on Cristiano and having a him shadowed for the ENTIRE game. Because...that's what you do when a guy can score four goals from open play against a supposed professional football team. It's just not him though, it's winning the midfield battle and stopping Modric from running the game and getting physical and hard in on Bale so he doesn't have the space to bring Benzema and Cristiano in the game. It's a lot of work to do and will need incredible concentration, but if they forego this then they might as well not even turn up to the game.
Shakhtar have some Brazilian flair in their team, which they have always seemed to have. So it's going to have to be a bit of smart countering with Fred (the other one) having to really make the smart and right passes to create chances. This is what the Ukranian club have to do, play smart. They will be the countering team as I expect Madrid to push guys forward and control most of the game. So when Shakhtar get the ball, it's about Fred receiving it and threading it through to the right player in the space created by Madrid pushing forward for goals.If they are too open or try and match up to Madrid in a game that has lots of space, they will get taken down to the canvas for the ten count. Madrid on a seven would still probably beat them, but they are now on a nine which means they are most likely going to lose, but if they can at least put themselves in a good position to keep themselves in the game, then there is every chance that they can steal a goal, frustrate Madrid and hopefully see them teeter out.
With Madrid, the aim is to always win this competition. Their rivals took home all the baked cookies last season, which means they have to respond appropriately. The Espanyol game puts them in the perfect mindset for this. Cristiano, their main goal-man, getting on the scorsheet was important, because with him scoring and the team functioning well in the way Benitez would like means serious trouble for any team in the Champions League....including Barcelona. I expect them to pretty much have a comfortable victory tonight, and all they need to watch out for are individual mistakes. Just keep the concentration at an optimum, keep hold of the ball and ensure Modric is allowed to control the tone of the game. The longer he's on the ball and spreading it around at will, the more difficult it will be for Shakhtar to do anything of note in the game. The battle is won in midfield, and that core piece of knowledge about football has never changed. If you win the midfield, more times than not, you win the game.
Good luck to Shakhtar. I hope they have taken my advice and don't walk onto that pitch pushing five guys up to attack to try and match Madrid blow for blow. If they decide to employ a zonal marking system without marrying someone to Cristiano till death do them apart, then this could be a serious circumcision. I fully expect Real Madrid to get that ass....sorry, Shakhtar.
HH
