The Art of the Counter-Attack

1-touch counter-attack at its best.

Real Madrid vs Ajax yesterday in the UEFA Champions League.

http://i.minus.com/ibeHHnZEVEBOO1.gif

http://i.eho.st/pjjamtgx.jpg

You can actually see how Ozil hesitates when he sees the beauty of the play. He could have settled the ball and taken his time and looked around, but decided to keep the 1-touch going.

El País wrote “Madrid earned their PhD. They sang an hymn to counterattacks, wrote the score for how to dominate, and pulled off something that anyone would find hard to define. Their first goal against Ajax deserved the Nobel Strategy Prize. Ozil, Kaka, Cristiano and Benzema syncronised their movements like chosen ones, playing first touch football at full speed until the Portuguese player finished it off. It is another option in football that, when carried out in such a symphonic way, proves to be as fascinating as it is demolishing”

And more importantly, it’s the opposite of Barcelona’s possession game. Who cares how long you have the ball, if you can counterattack this way.