While Real Madrid's 1-0 defeat to PSG in the 1st leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie wasn't the worst of results, as the Spanish giants remain in the game ahead of the return leg at the Bernabeu, Carlo Ancelotti is plotting a fundamental tactical change for their second encounter.
Los Blancos nearly came away from the Parc des Princes with a nil-nil draw but a brilliant last-gasp goal from Kylian Mbappe shattered the hearts of Benzema and Co. in the final minute. In fact, in all fairness, the French giants should have won by a larger margin as Los Merengues allowed the opposition to dominate possession and thus appeared content to play for a draw.
However, the Italian boss is expected to shake things up for the second leg. According to Marca, Ancelotti was not impressed with his players' lack of intensity. While the team had become accustomed to defending in a low block before attacking on the break, their inability to pressure the opposition when necessary caused problems for the Liga giants.
The manager raised this issue with his players, with many suggesting they should press higher up the pitch. Thus the goal for the second leg is to employ this tactic in order to gain possession in dangerous areas.
This could suit both Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema as they wouldn't have much ground to traverse and could thus get a shot off quicker. Casemiro is suspended, but this could work in their favor as well, as playing a pressing game would require a younger, more energetic midfielder, meaning Federico Valverde or Eduardo Camavinga could be introduced into the lineup.
The second leg will take place in just under two weeks, meaning Ancelotti has enough time to iron out his tactics. Whether it will work out remains unknown as Pochettino's side are blessed with a plethora of world-class players who could beat a press.
