Vilanova stood in front of the away team's bench, frowning as he watched the match.
He had noticed that Real Madrid's attack was clearly much more aggressive tonight.
Unlike in the match at Camp Nou, when Real Madrid had played at a slower tempo, apparently intending to control possession, tonight they were completely different. The moment they won the ball, they immediately tried every possible way to send it in behind Barcelona's defense, allowing Hazard, Yang Yang, and Robben to make runs.
Possession kept changing hands around the halfway line and along the edge of the area thirty meters from Barcelona's goal. Real Madrid's attacks came wave after wave, giving Barcelona no chance to catch their breath.
Oh, no. In fact, they were not even giving themselves a chance to breathe.
Their High Press in the middle and front of the pitch was frantic. Every time they won the ball, they quickly played in behind the defense, taking turns assaulting Barcelona's back line. This caught the Barcelona players off guard. They had always been slow to settle into matches, and after Real Madrid's sudden attacks, they were left disoriented, losing their rhythm and shape.
Several of Barcelona's passing errors were even extremely serious, causing possession to change hands repeatedly. That was not like Barcelona at all.
Of course, Real Madrid's pressing was also ferocious, chasing all the way to the byline and displaying an intense attacking desire.
Only a few minutes had passed since kickoff, but Vilanova had already gone to the touchline twice to call out to his players and adjust the team's defense.
He knew very well that Real Madrid was only showing its teeth during this opening spell. Once this whirlwind of fast attacks passed, they would have to slow down and make adjustments, because no team