Another positive R's vibe - I woke up @ 5:00am today and Paul Clement was being interviewed on the BBC World Service discussing the Champions League Final to be played later today.
He is definitely "the right sort" and would make a great R's manager down the road.
Real Madridâs Paul Clement ensures team is spot on for Lisbon final
Realâs English assistant to Carlo Ancelotti bemoans loss of Xabi Alonso but feels club can still win Champions League final
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Paul Clement has his eyes on helping Real Madrid win their tenth European Cup on Saturday.
âVamos chicos!â âRápido.â âUno, dos, tres â¦â It is a cold morning at Valdebebas and Real Madridâs players are going through another drill, the ball passed swiftly round a small square marked out on the turf, one touch, then two, then three. In the middle, Paul Clement calls out the instructions. Preparation has begun for the Champions League final, Realâs biggest game in over a decade, the obsession that eclipses all else, including the final weeks of the league season, and they must be ready for anything. And, yes, that does include penalties.
It also means being Atlético. âWe know them very well: they had the edge in the league, winning at our place and drawing away, and we had the edge in the Cup when we won both games. In training, we create situations that are similar to Atlético in terms of tactical approach, positioning, and movement,â Clement explains. âWe put out two teams, one very similar to them in shape, and ask them to do things Atlético will do against us. Then we ask our team to do the things we need to break that down.â
Training sessions are not the only testing ground. Real have been building to this moment all season and it has been the sole focus for a fortnight. Against Espanyol last weekend, Real were effectively playing against Atlético already, emotionally, physically and tactically. A league game with nothing at stake served a dual function: to protect and to prepare. There were clues in the lineup and approach. There has been one particular point of intrigue: who will replace the suspended Xabi Alonso for tomorrowâs final in Lisbon?
âHe is a big loss,â Clement, assistant to the Real manager, Carlo Ancelotti, admits. âBut just having him around is important as well. He is such a settling influence, especially on the young players. There are a number of options weâre still considering and we have a good idea but no final decision has been made yet: it will be the last moment. Thatâs good, it keeps the players on their toes â not nervous, but making sure they train properly and feel they have that chance.
âWe always prepare thoroughly but the attention to detail goes to another level for a game like this. We planned really carefully, especially after losing to Celta de Vigo [in their penultimate league game]. We knew that there would be nothing in it, in terms of winning the league, so we made sure we had two weeksâ prep for the final.â
While Realâs focus turned entirely to the Champions League, Atlético went to Camp Nou last Saturday and drew with Barcelona to take their first league title in eighteen years. The following evening, they paraded through the city on an open-topped bus. One man not on board was midfielder Koke: he hadnât thrown off the effects of the previous nightâs celebrations. Advantage Real, then? âI donât know about that,â Clement says.
The Englishman adds: âThere are two contrasting styles: they play with a very compact block in a four-four-two. Theyâre very rarely out of position, and they are very aggressive. [Diego] Simeone has done a tremendous job: congratulations to them for winning the league.
âThey use the ball well too: they defend deep but when they get the ball theyâre effective at moving the ball forward together, very compact in attack as well as defence. They donât just punt it forward; they play little combinations and work their way down the field. There will be periods when they have the ball and there is space behind [for Bale and Ronaldo], but certainly not as much as when you play against Barcelona or Bayern. We expect to have to break down a tight block for the majority of the game.â
And if they canât? Then perhaps it will come down to penalties. But they say you canât practise penalties. âYou have to practise everything that happens in a game: set plays, attacking, defending, periods of transition,â Clement counters. âWe try to do all of it, including penalties. It is very difficult to recreate the pressure but we give the players the chance to repeat their penalties: repetition, repetition. Keep practising and feel comfortable. We practised them yesterday and we will practise them again.
âYou have to account for substitutions, injuries, red cards, things that can happen in the game, but we have a good idea already of who would take them if it went to penalties. We have lined them up one to 11 and we [will then] make adjustments as needed.â
The last time Sergio Ramos took a penalty he dinked in a Panenka in the semi-final of Euro 2012, against Portugal, and he would do it again. It sounds like he has been threatening to do it in Lisbon. Clement grins: âOh, God. It gives me a heart attack when he does that. I just say to him: âSergio, no, no! Tranquilo! Calm down!ââ