DAZN analyst blasts Real Madrid’s set‑piece frailty as Liverpool finally punish lapses

A DAZN commentator criticized Real Madrid’s set‑piece defending during a clash with Liverpool, noting the visitors carved out three dead‑ball chances before finally scoring. Fan reactions homed in on mismatches like Vinícius Júnior tracking Virgil van Dijk, a flat‑footed defensive line, and the sense that only elite goalkeeping kept the score down. Some lamented a decline from the era of Ramos, Casemiro and the ‘BBC’, while others questioned tactical choices and personnel, including Arda Güler’s role. The consensus: Liverpool targeted a clear Madrid weakness, and failure to adjust quickly enough made the breakthrough inevitable.

Post‑match broadcast remarks from a DAZN commentator following a Liverpool vs Real Madrid encounter in European competition, alongside contemporaneous public fan reactions on major social platforms. The discussion centers on repeated set‑piece opportunities preceding Liverpool’s goal and tactical mismatches in Madrid’s marking assignments.

🗣️ DAZN commentator: “Before Liverpool’s goal. Real Madrid’s defending on every set piece was terrible. Liverpool had THREE chances from set pieces before the goal. Real Madrid failed to react and then it was too late, Liverpool finally scored.”

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a data‑led perspective, the pattern is familiar: repeated first-contact losses, poor control of second balls, and mismatched assignments against Liverpool’s elite aerial threats. When a side allows three consecutive set‑piece looks before conceding, the issue is systemic rather than incidental. The most visible cue was a size and role mismatch—Vinícius Júnior momentarily against Virgil van Dijk—signaling either a breakdown in communication or a suboptimal hybrid scheme that failed to reassign once Liverpool stacked the near zone. Liverpool routinely use screens, crowding the six-yard line to detach the most dominant aerial markers; without proactive swaps, the defending side is forced into panic clearances.

For Real Madrid, the tell was spacing between zonal posts and man-markers: channels opened at the penalty spot and far post, where runners attacked the blindside. Madrid’s recovery step was late, making them “flat‑footed” on first contact, and their body orientation often faced the ball rather than the man, inviting rebounds. The goalkeeper’s shot-stopping masked a wider structural problem; elite saves can erase one or two breakdowns, not a sequence of three.

The immediate tactical implication is twofold. First, Madrid must fix their assignment tree versus Liverpool’s A-patterns (inswingers to Van Dijk/Konate with screens, outswingers for second-phase cutbacks). Second, they need a designated blocker and a spare for the long-runner arriving at the back post. Personnel solutions—prioritizing aerial volume (Rüdiger, Tchouaméni, Valverde) and clearer captaincy on dead balls—are as vital as drill volume. Without that correction, set pieces become Liverpool’s repeatable win condition in any rematch.

Reaction

Fan sentiment split between tactical exasperation and fatalistic realism. One thread mocked the mismatch with, “Vini was marking Van Dijk,” underlining how glaring the assignment error looked on broadcast angles. Another insisted Madrid “should’ve conceded five if not for that giraffe,” a barbed way to say the goalkeeper’s saves kept the game alive. Several Madrid supporters admitted, with gritted teeth, that the team “can’t even defend set pieces,” while another summarized the malaise: “terrible in all aspects except the goalkeeping.”

Beyond the immediate goal, the tone turned nostalgic. References to the solidity of Ramos and Casemiro, and the dominance of the BBC frontline, framed a contrast to today’s more open, transition‑friendly Madrid. A few voices argued the squad, despite Kylian Mbappé’s brilliance, still sits a tier below Europe’s most physically imposing teams when defending dead balls. Personnel criticism also surfaced: one commenter questioned Arda Güler’s presence on the pitch in this context, reading it as a misalignment between game state and player profile. Others called the back line “flat‑footed,” bemoaning slow reactions on second balls. In aggregate, the discourse portrays a fanbase that recognizes a specific, solvable flaw—set‑piece structure—rather than a wholesale collapse of quality.

Social reactions

Xabi will still say " the game has shown me something." Xabi is not the man for this team,I have been saying it even before we hired him. he is not ripe for that stage yet. No guys

Ridgez (@Ridgez_1)

Who's our set piece coach?? Genuine question I really want Xabi to have some serious talk with him Virgil Van Dijk was being marked by VINI JR btw, VINICIUS JR

AddgRMA 🐢🔜🤍 (@AddgRma)

They were too flatfooted

Abiola (@abylurv)

Prediction

Expect Carlo Ancelotti and staff to hard-pivot on set‑piece detail in the next microcycle. The first lever is clarity: assign Van Dijk to Madrid’s most dominant aerial defender for every inswinger, with a designated screener disruptor and a free defender patrolling the penalty spot. Look for tighter staggering—compressing the six‑yard line while stationing a high outlet to contest second balls outside the box. Training will emphasize body orientation (half‑turn to track man and ball), timing the first step, and pre‑emptive switches when Liverpool bunch their runners.

In-game, Madrid may shift from a loose hybrid to a stricter man-plus-spare approach for Liverpool’s A and B corner routines, sacrificing transition outlets to secure first contact. Personnel tweaks are likely: adding height and aggression in key zones and limiting lightweight matchups at the back post. For Liverpool, the script is straightforward—flood the box, target near-post flick-ons, and force rebounds. If these adjustments stick, Madrid can neutralize Liverpool’s edge; if not, expect Liverpool to press the advantage and extract another goal from corners or wide free-kicks in any subsequent meeting.

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Conclusion

Liverpool didn’t stumble onto a lucky bounce—they probed a weakness until it broke. Three set‑piece chances before the goal highlight a process problem for Real Madrid: misaligned matchups, slow reactions, and insufficient control of second phases. While elite goalkeeping narrowed the damage, it cannot be a defensive scheme. The fix is not mysterious: clearer assignments against Liverpool’s set‑piece triggers, a dedicated disruptor for screens, and more aerial presence in the hotspot zones.

Madrid still possess enough quality to flip this narrative, but that requires a non‑negotiable standard on dead balls. Liverpool, meanwhile, have reaffirmed a scalable edge that travels well in Europe. The next chapter will hinge on whether Madrid translate this warning into structure and repeatable habits. If they do, the margins tighten quickly; if they don’t, Liverpool’s restarts will continue to decide the tie.