His may not be the most glamorous name at the most glamorous club in the world, but Sami Khedira’s loss through injury for Real Madrid is likely to bring sweeping changes in Carlos Ancelotti’s style of play. It could, in fact, be the most significant occurrence of the season at the Bernabéu.
Khedira’s 6-month absence leaves Madrid in a ponderous position, one with two strands. There is the notion that a team without their most imposing player physically could lose all their momentum. Then there is the theory that without the German, Madrid might well begin to focus more on control as opposed to force. Khedira is more a José Mourinho soldier than one that aligns with Ancelotti’s army after all, a player whose game is less about ball retention and technical ability than power and structure.
Khedira, in his 10 starts this season, has only mustered a WhoScored.com rating of 6.80, a slight improvement on his average of 6.76 from last term. The figures behind Khedira show a player who isn’t in the top bracket when it comes tackles, interceptions, passes or actions in the final third. He’s a cog in the Madrid system - a key one - but one that perhaps doesn’t engineer an end product himself. For a player that does much of his work in deep areas, his tackles only come in at 1.1 per game - the same number recurs in his average for interceptions. Aerially he doesn’t stand out either, winning only 0.7 of his aerial duels this season.
What Khedira does do however, is use the ball and the space he encounters intelligently. Whether it’s a single lay-off or bursting run from 30 yards from goal, Khedira always plays a part. His running, calculated as much as anything, has won him an army of fans. No player at Madrid creates space and uses it more efficiently, even those more intelligent on the ball such as Isco.
In Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 Khedira is Madrid’s greatest tactical asset, and with the aforementioned movement he allows others to integrate into the system. A world away in styles, it’s Khedira who has impacted on Bale’s arrival at Real Madrid more than any other player. The German has a duty of bringing others into play indirectly, sweeping forward with attacks and making sure he is that link-man for the more gifted players. Often, Khedira can even find himself on the end of an attack, an area in which he’s improved tenfold over time.
In the 4-3-3 Xabi Alonso provides the base, the function and organisational qualities. Luka Modric, meanwhile, the flair and interpretation as an individual. Khedira is the solidity, the gap filler and the guarantee. Everyone knows where Sami will be, because they’ll be in a better position as a result of it. The Croatian, however, could be freed up as a result of Khedira’s injury. At the moment Modric is making more tackles, 1.9 per game, than he is key passes, at 1.7 per game.
So how do Madrid turn this overriding negative into a positive, and overcome the loss of a player they quite frankly don’t have a back-up for in the squad. Casemiro is there as an option, but the main benefactor is set to be Asier Illarramendi. After a slow start to life at Madrid, and a little sprinkling of criticism from the media in the city, the former Real Sociedad man is slowly settling into life at the club. His transition might become a little easier too with regular games in the side as a key defensive component in the 4-3-3 that Ancelotti employs.
Although lacking the box-to-box structure of Khedira – the attacking qualities of Illarra have been the most critiqued in fact – his promotion could be a blessing in disguise in terms of the defensive side of the game. Madrid have suffered this season from leaving significant gaps and distance between the defence and attack. Several teams have exploited this due to a midfield lacking Alonso’s command and Illarramendi’s brain. The pair could well address the issue, and provide Madrid with a more solid base for their attacking options to perform upon.
Illarramendi has already made more tackles per game than any other midfielder at the club, with 2.7. His 1.3 interceptions per game, meanwhile, are second in the midfield department, behind only Modric on 1.4. If Illarramendi can get anywhere near his figures of 3.8 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game from last season, this significant moment in Madrid’s season could certainly be for the better.
As a team Madrid are averaging 21.1 tackles per game at the moment, whilst intercepting just 14.7 times per game. There has been a lack of aggression and pressure in the midfield department to an extent, which is an area that needs addressing considering the 12.1 shots they’ve conceded per game. In contrast Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, their direct rivals, are both conceding less than 10 per game.
Another bonus to Illarramendi is a point already touched upon, in terms of control. At times this season Madrid have lacked just that at key moments, allowing other teams to gain a foothold on the game and make beelines for their penalty area. Madrid’s possession of 58.9% is the 3rd most in La Liga, but that figure could actually rise significantly without Khedira in the team. Sevilla, at one point looking dead and buried at the Bernabéu, found a second wind due to the lack of dominance from Madrid and their inability to see the result out.
Ancelotti needs that control and composure from his team to make sure this season of transition goes smoothly. Khedira is a significant loss in one context, but in another his injury could facilitate a positive change in style. Madrid, with Alonso returning and, more significantly, a player with the characteristics of Illarramendi, are positioned well to address the issue.
How do you think Real Madrid will cope without Khedira? Let us know in the comments below
