Tottenham don't need a miracle against Real Madrid

As intimidating as a trip to the Bernabéu might be, Tottenham should go into it knowing that a win is possible.

That might seem an overly optimistic take for Tottenham, especially after their unfocused 1-0 win over Bournemouth on the weekend. But the cracks are slowly beginning to show in a Real Madrid team widely regarded as the best in the world.

Real Madrid made history last June by burning past Juventus’ best defense in Europe on the way to a second consecutive Champions League trophy. It was a phenomenal run that showcased Zinedine Zidane’s mastery of what happens on the pitch as well as his effective balancing of egos off it.

It was not a campaign without flaw however. Though that 4-1 win over Juventus will be all history remembers, Real came close to dropping out of the competition at the hands of teams that — for a time at least — seemed like they knew how to beat the reigning champions.

First, Real could only finish second in their group against two 2-2 draws against winners Borussia Dortmund. The Germans showed it was possible to take the game to Real.

More from Match Previews

Then came a pair of matches in the Round of 16 where Napoli carried the first half both home and away thanks to some clever reactive tactics. Real being Real, they found a way through in both legs’ second halves to win easily — but it wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggests.

Bayern Munich put up a sterner fight predictably, and might have knocked Real out entirely were it not for some questionable officiating in the second leg.

None of which is meant to suggest that Real were lucky to have made into the final. It was simply clear that this was not Pep Guardiola or Luis Enrique’s Barcelona. They had weaknesses, ones that a savvy team would inevitably exploit.

Perhaps predictably, things began to slightly unravel right from the start this season. Draws against Valencia and Levante preceded a loss against Real Betis in September, results that put Real five points off the pace being set by Lionel Messi and Barcelona.

Even in their match against Dortmund in the Champions League, their 3-1 victory came with a hint of good fortune. A shot from the German side in the first half was kept from the back of the net by a Sergio Ramos handball. The offense resulted in neither a penalty nor a red card for the centre-back.

At that point in the match Real were only up 1-0. If a penalty were converted and a red card issued, things would undoubtedly have ended quite differently than a 3-1 Real win.

During and between these examples, Real have of course proved consistently excellent. This is a still a team that can call on the services of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, after all. Close calls or no, this is still clearly one of the best teams in Europe.

A sense remains though that Zidane presides over less of a football club and more of a loose affiliation of some of the best players in the world. There is rarely anything revolutionary or clever about their tactics. Often they are nothing more complicated than getting Ronaldo the ball as quickly as possible.

Next: Tottenham must lean on pragmaticism against Real Madrid

As effective as that might be, it’s a system that can be broken down much more easily than the coordinated efforts of a Dortmund or a Barcelona. Mauricio Pochettino will hope he can be the one to finally expose Real for what they are.

Tottenham don’t need a miracle against Real Madrid

By Ryan Wrenn | Oct 17, 2017

As intimidating as a trip to the Bernabéu might be, Tottenham should go into it knowing that a win is possible.