When Real Madrid returned to work after the summer break last year, there was a new boy in the office — Jude Bellingham.
Signed from Borussia Dortmund for €103million (£87m; $113m) plus add-ons, the Englishman’s arrival brought a question: how would he fit into a squad that had lost Karim Benzema and not replaced him?
As ever, Carlo Ancelotti had the answer. The Italian head coach said farewell to the 4-3-3 he’d used with striker Benzema and moved to 4-4-2, with Bellingham at the top of a diamond. There were nuances and variations as the season progressed, with Ancelotti showing tactical flexibility when required.
Twelve months later, Madrid find themselves in a similar situation. France forward Kylian Mbappe has joined, but where will the high-profile free agent signing from Paris Saint-Germain fit in?
You’d imagine Ancelotti will, as always in the past, have the answer — as does The Athletic…
Ancelotti has plenty of attacking options (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Madrid’s approach with Mbappe will not be the same as it was with Bellingham, partially due to the different context.
With so many of his players going on holiday having been away at the European Championship and Copa America, Ancelotti does not expect to have the full squad on hand until August 8 at the earliest — which is when Champions League winners Madrid return from their pre-season tour of the United States. The UEFA Super Cup, against Italy’s Europa League champions Atalanta in the Polish city of Warsaw, will be less than a week away.
This complicates player testing during pre-season, something which proved to be important last summer, but it does not prevent there from being an idea of how to shape the new project. Above all, that idea is based on “balance”, a concept repeated by Ancelotti often that will be a trending topic at the club’s Valdebebas HQ in the coming season.
Why? Because Madrid’s approach is going to switch between two formations, depending on whether they are attacking or defending.
In attack, the formation will resemble a 4-3-3. From right to left, the front line is expected to be formed by Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, ahead of a midfield designed to consist of Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Bellingham:
When defending, Madrid’s formation will be a 4-4-2, with Vinicius Jr and Mbappe up front and Bellingham as a ‘false’ left-winger.
Tchouameni and Valverde will be in the centre of midfield, with Rodrygo falling back on the right flank:
From there, several questions arise. The main one concerns Mbappe. In 2022, with Benzema and Vinicius Jr playing at a spectacular level for Madrid, the Frenchman expressed concerns to those around him about the possibility of playing on the right, according to those close to the player who will remain anonymous to protect relationships.
This year, Vinicius Jr has also shown some of the best form of his career in Mbappe’s preferred position on the left.
“Where do I want to play? Wherever the coach wants,” he said at his presentation to Madrid supporters on Tuesday. “I can play in the three positions up front, like at PSG, Monaco and the national team.”
A source at Valdebebas, who will remain anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic on Monday: “His position hasn’t been discussed with him yet, but Mbappe is never going to be a problem.”
Another possible issue concerns Rodrygo, who cast doubt on his future at the club in several interviews in the week leading up to the Champions League final victory over Dortmund at the start of June. The 23-year-old Brazilian was frustrated by the criticism that followed those comments and the impression created that he could be the main victim of Mbappe’s arrival.
The truth is that Ancelotti is still counting on Rodrygo.
In the tactical plans detailed above, he will be key, helping Valverde in the defensive phase on the right. It is a sacrifice Ancelotti asked Gareth Bale to make in the season of La Decima, the club’s 10th European Cup/Champions League triumph in 2014, when the Welshman was played up front with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Returning to the key theme of “balance”, Ancelotti is keen to make clear from the start of the season that everyone must be on the same page in attack and, above all, defence.
Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr will be vital to Ancelotti’s plans (Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
At Valdebebas, staff believe there will be room for error in La Liga, but in the Champions League, there will be matchdays and knockout ties when there can be no mistakes. Ancelotti wants this message to get through to the dressing room.
Even before the failure to sign 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro, who is instead joining Manchester United from French club Lille, there was a feeling among coaching staff that there could be less reliability at the back for Madrid in the coming season. They may concede 10 to 15 more goals but the hope is that, with the addition of Mbappe, goalscoring will increase significantly.
Ancelotti has asked for a centre-back to be signed, but knows one may not arrive. Tchouameni could be the replacement option for starters Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger.
As a club man, the head coach will not cause problems for his bosses and will work with what he has. It was a similar story last summer when the board did not sign Harry Kane, Ancelotti’s choice to replace Benzema, again in January, when the need for a centre-back was evident because injuries had left only two options, Rudiger and Nacho, and now this summer, when his request to add more coaches to his staff was not approved.
Ancelotti and his assistants know that matching the attacking records from last season will be very difficult (87 goals scored in 38 La Liga matches, with a goal difference of 61, as they won the title by 10 points). Without the precision of Toni Kroos (now retired), Arda Guler and Luka Modric are the alternatives to bring into the midfield. However, the 19-year-old Guler, who starred for Turkey at Euro 2024, and Modric, who turns 39 in September, are not expected to start most of Madrid’s games. That leaves Rodrygo, Valverde or even utility man Lucas Vazquez to assume greater responsibility.
The main focus, however, will be on how Mbappe is used, how the others adapt to his presence and what difference this will make to Madrid’s attacking and defensive approaches.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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