‘Astonishing’ – Thierry Henry jumps to defence of Real Madrid over tactics vs Man City | OneFootball

Former Arsenal and Barcelona star Thierry Henry has moved to back La Liga giants Real Madrid, over the tactics employed in their meeting with Manchester City on Wednesday night.

Real, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

As much comes owing to a hard-fought downing of reigning tournament holders Man City at The Etihad.

After the two sides could not be separated across a full 210 minutes of football, the tie was sent to a penalty shootout, with Carlo Ancelotti’s troops having ultimately held their nerve from 12 yards.

Los Blancos made use of an uncharacteristic approach on their way to as much, throwing the club’s usual all-action stylings out the window for a low-block, counter-attacking setup.

And, though at times far from pretty, it proved the deciding factor in keeping an always dangerous City outfit at arm’s length, en route to a penalty shootout triumph.

Nevertheless, many were quick to criticise Real in the game’s aftermath, with Sky Blues star Rodri, for one, having gone as far as to state that he only saw ‘one team’ on the pitch on Wednesday.

As alluded to above, though, with the dust having now settled on the matchup, the La Liga leaders have today been vehemently defended, by something of a surprise source.

Speaking as part of his punditry role with CBS Sports, ex-Barcelona frontman Thierry Henry was adamant that the level of defensive solidity showcased by Ancelotti’s men means that they were fully deserving of their place in the Champions League’s final-4:

“I know Man City had the ball and this and that, but the way Real Madrid defended was just astonishing.

“You can control the game defending well. I know people will say City was the best team, but defending is part of the game. I think the best team, the team that defended well, went through.”

Conor Laird | GSFN