Why Real Madrid's counter attack is more complex than you think

Counter-attacking football seems simple. Your team plays deep, wins possession, sends the ball forward and runs like hell, scoring before the opposition defense settles.

Yet moving the ball up the pitch quickly and accurately every time is much more difficult than it looks. Particularly for Real Madrid, who make scoring on the break look easy. Karim Benzema’s goal in their semi final against Bayern Munich last night, the only goal of the game, provides a good example:

The move begins simply enough, with a blocked shot from Toni Kroos into Pepe, which goes into some empty space where both Philipp Lahm and Karim Benzema race to win possession. Here too is a good element of counter attacking play: forwards picking up second balls in their own half under pressure.

Lahm tackles to win it but goes past Benzema, who picks up the ball, regains his balance, and stands up with Xabi Alonso, Isco and Ronaldo as passing options. This is Real Madrid in their element: lanes to move.  

It’s subtle, but Real Madrid’s passing play from here on in is complex and quick, with several effective overlapping runs. Benzema has chosen the safest option in Alonso, who also has space in front of him. He can either make a Hollywood pass to Ronaldo, or play the easier option with Isco.

Alonso has taken the easier option of Isco out wide. It is a smart pass, as Ronaldo would have been isolated on the wing with on Di Maria available, who is three Bayern defenders away from the Portuguese winger. It's obvious that Isco has only one option in Ronaldo, so he should pass immediately, right?

Nope, and this to me is the sneaky brilliance of Real Madrid’s play. Isco doesn’t like what he sees in front of him, so he simply holds up play. Meanwhile his closest marker in Bastian Schweinsteiger keeps his distance to keep Isco from blowing past him, giving the RM player more time, enough for Coentrao to get this message and run up on his right. Benzema continues his run, and now RM have two attacking options up front.

Ronaldo, however, has planted his feet (smart quick wingers know when to stop), letting Rafinha track back right past him as if he wasn’t there to cover the flank. Isco passes to him, and Coentrao has continued his run.

And then the highlight reel picks up. Ronaldo sends a gorgeous pass just ahead of Coentrao, who then crosses low and perfectly for Benzema, whose initial tackle set the stage for the counter, to score.

Yes, it’s remarkable that Coentrao and Benzema both ran the length of the pitch to score. But the small moments of quick thinking, particularly Isco holding up the ball long enough for Coentrao to make a run in front of him, along with Ronaldo’s decision to wait, demonstrate why there is much more than meets the eye to RM’s counterattacking brilliance.