After a five-game winning run, the injury-stricken champions finally stumbled as they were held to a draw at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Zinedine Zidane admits a change of formation mid-match may have cost Real Madrid points against Real Sociedad, with the manager justifying his tactical tinkering by saying his “team was a bit tired”.
Portu put Real Sociedad on the front foot ten minutes after the break. With their lead still intact until the final minutes, and with them remaining resolute in defense, it appeared as if Real Madrid were set for a huge disappointment.
Substitute Vinicius Jr., however, made sure his side don’t walk away empty-handed as he fired home from close range at minute 89 from a Lucas Vazquez cross.
Los Blancos missed the opportunity to climb back to second in La Liga as the 1-1 stalemate leaves them at third, level on points with FC Barcelona and five points adrift of Atletico Madrid.
Zidane changed the team formation at half-time, going from a four-man defense to a back three.
“I changed it because I wasn’t happy with our pressing,” Zidane explained post-match, via Marca.
Asked if the change of system could have possibly harmed his side, the French manager responded: “If you’ve asked me, and that’s now three times, then yes, maybe.
“We had to change things because, after an hour, the team was a bit tired. Sometimes we have to change things. In the end, you try to find things to change the dynamic.”
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