Real Madrid News
Ancelotti experiments with a midfield diamond featuring new signings in training – report
Carlo Ancelotti is not holding back ahead of the new season. The Italian tactician is under pressure to find a system that best fits his squad, and it appears that he is leaving no stone unturned in the process.
Reports earlier today brought to the fore that the Italian was experimenting with different forward trios in yesterday’s training session. In fact, he is said to have even deployed the new signing Jude Bellingham as a number nine.
According to reports from Arancha Rodriguez, the manager has been trying combinations in midfield in Friday’s sessions with the 4-4-2 diamond being the primary theme.
The Spanish journalist gives an insider’s view of the exact combination the manager was experimenting with as part of his preseason training.
One of the setups for the day was Aurelien Tchouameni as the lone defensive midfielder with the duo of Nico Paz and Toni Kroos deployed ahead of him.
The Argentine-German duo in central midfield seemingly aims to combine the former’s youth and exuberance with the latter’s experience. Arda Guler completed the midfield department playing as the sole attacking midfielder.
Ancelotti coupled the aforementioned midfield with Joselu and Vinicius Jr as the two forwards. While the role of the Spanish marksman as a finisher in the forward duo is clear, it will be interesting to see how a natural winger like Vini adapts to a more central role.
The manager also tried a similar 4-4-2 diamond setup with Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, and Jude Bellingham with Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo Goes up front.
Camavinga has previously done well as a pivot midfielder and having someone with the energy and stamina of Valverde ahead of him does help matters. And fielding Bellingham in the No. 10 role could be the best way to make use of his goalscoring abilities.
While the result of his experiments is unknown, the two formations give a clear idea of the role Ancelotti has in mind for different players.
As it stands, it is unclear which formation Real Madrid will stick to for the upcoming season. The diamond is a strong contender, but a 4-2-3-1 and the classic 4-3-3 cannot be ruled out.
Real Madrid News
Bellingham on his special assist in Girona 0-3 Real Madrid: “Been watching Luka every day”
Real Madrid usurped the top spot in the La Liga standings from arch-rivals FC Barcelona as they defeated Girona 3-0 away at Estadi Montilivi.
It was a fine performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men against Michel’s side, with the returning Jude Bellingham leading the way for his team.
After being benched against Las Palmas in midweek, the England international returned to the starting XI today and turned in yet another Man of the Match display for Real Madrid.
It all started with Joselu opening the scoring just 15 minutes into the game, with Bellingham assisting the goal with a special, outside-of-the-boot pass from the left side, bringing back memories of Luka Modric doing something similar a few years ago.
Talking about that special pass, Bellingham said: “I’ve been watching Luka every day for months. I just want to be creative. It took the pressure off us at the start.”
On the match and the result, the 20-year-old stated that it was a good day across the board for Real Madrid, as he said: “It was an important win. They were doing very well. We made a statement of intent to La Liga. Three goals, a clean sheet….”
It has been a truly remarkable start to life at Real Madrid for Bellingham and expressing how he feels to play for the Merengues, he exclaimed:
“I feel very good. I have freedom of movement and I’m enjoying football. Whenever I put on this shirt I always try to do my best.”
Apart from assisting Joselu’s opener, Bellingham also got his name on the scoresheet in the second period. Talking about his goal, the wonderkid said:
“It wasn’t a very good finish. I could have scored some more, but the important thing is the victory.”
The strike meant that Bellingham now has seven goals and two assists across all competitions for Real Madrid. Reflecting on his brilliant start, he said:
“It’s a good start, not bad. I would like to continue on this path and I won’t always score or assist, but I will always give my best.”
Bellingham’s celebration has been a huge hit, with kids in school, players from other clubs, and many others mimicking it. When asked how his special celebration originated, he replied:
“I don’t know where I first celebrated. I think it was with Birmingham. It’s an inspiration to see kids doing it in schools. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Source: AS
Rashad
July 22, 2023 at 9:33 am
Maybe they should consider a 3-5-2 formation ! They certainly have three central defenders in Militao Alaba Rodigue and deploy Camavinga and Velverde as wingback with Tchoumeni anchor flanked by Kroos(Bilingham) and Modric(Arda) with Vini and Rodrygo upfront