ANALYSIS: Real Madrid Came Close to Paying the Price of Mourinho’s Approach Against Gasperini’s Man-Marking System

Managing Madrid analyzes how Real Madrid narrowly escaped defeat in a 4-3 victory over Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma, arguing that manager José Mourinho's long-ball strategy faltered against Roma's aggressive man-marking press. The tactical review states that deploying Kylian Mbappé, Yan Diomandé, and Vinícius Júnior as aerial targets exposed the squad to repeated turnovers, leaving the defense overwhelmed until second-half substitutes turned the game around.

The writer argues that the forward trio lacked aerial efficiency, winning low percentages of duels, while disjointed midfield lines failed to capture second balls. Furthermore, limited tracking back from Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé allowed Roma to overload defenders like Marc Cucurella and generate five high turnovers close to Thibaut Courtois's goal.