After the Champions League draw was conducted by Gianluigi Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former jokingly said the aim of the new league phase was to put an end to Real Madrid's dominance.Although a fanciful glee, the words of Gigi Buffon have gone a long way, as Real Madrid have struggled considerably in the 2024/25 Champions League league phase.Los Blancos' struggles were not the only key takeaways from matchday four's games as Arne Slot's well-oiled Liverpool machine demolished Bayer Leverkusen, while Pep Guardiola's Manchester City lost for the third time in as many games.3Sports takes a look at some talking points from matchday four of the Uefa Champions League. Real Madrid's malfunctioning team could cost them in the long-runReal Madrid do not seem to be at their fluid best this season, with the latest evidence showcased on Tuesday night when they lost 3-1 to AC Milan.
As a unit, Real's structure was easily broken by AC Milan, who found it easy to play in-between-the-lines.
A clear example of Real's failure to coordinate the press as a team and defend as a unit was when Tchouameni's loose ball in midfield was pounced upon by Milan's Reijjnder who fed in Leao, eventually leading to AC Milan's second goal by Morata.Real Madrid's press from the front was non-existent throughout the game as Mbappe and Vinicius, the two men who led the line, failed to press.
Jude Bellingham was often seen single-handedly trying to break the lines and make runs in behind AC Milan's defence while abandoning his midfield role.
