Livescore
The unavailability of several key players for Real Madrid is forcing Carlo Ancelotti to look for some innovative solutions to his selection problem.
The Merengues are missing two very important players, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, and their lack of availability has significantly disrupted the Los Blancos’ defensive plans. As things stand, Ancelotti only has Lucas Vazquez to play as a right-back, and only Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao as dependable centre-backs, with Tchouameni being an emergency option.
In the last game against Celta Vigo, Ancelotti opted for a three-man defence, with Tchouameni joining Rudiger and Militao in the backline, while the fullbacks, Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia, operated higher up the pitch. Bellingham was also stationed at a rather unknown position on the right side of the midfield.
But according to MARCA, the Real Madrid coaching staff is far from satisfied with the returns obtained from such a shift in the team, and such a setup will not be adopted for the upcoming two key games against Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
Instead, Ancelotti will return to his tried and tested 4-4-2, with Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy as pure fullbacks, two centre-backs, Bellingham at the tip of the diamond, and Valverde and Camavinga supporting him. The forward line is expected to be composed of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
The one midfield spot left is expected to be filled in by Luka Modric, in whose absence the team has not created as many chances for the attacking line as was expected.
Furthermore, Ancelotti will not adopt a very rigid setup going forward, and the individual players will be allowed to excel according to their personal strengths, but still within a framework that benefits the team as a collective. The players will be asked to cover more ground in the coming matches, but they will also have to freedom to express themselves.
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