Real Madrid News
Ancelotti not contemplating change in Real Madrid’s formation despite star winger’s injury
Vinicius Jr is one of Real Madrid’s most influential players on the field. His prominence has only grown since the departure of Karim Benzema, and it is safe to say that the Merengues’ attack revolves around his prowess on the wing.
Carlo Ancelotti’s plans thus took a massive beating last week when the Brazilian star walked off the field injured against Celta Vigo. Subsequent tests revealed that he would be out for six weeks, possibly including two games of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
In light of the unexpected development, reports brought out that Ancelotti contemplated a change in formation.
Considering his relative lack of resources in the final third, the sources revealed that the Italian tactician had his eyes on a 4-3-2-1 pyramid setup with Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham playing behind Joselu.
According to reports from Jorge C Picon, Ancelotti does not contemplate any such change in formation in the coming game. He will stick with the 4-4-2 diamond against Getafe despite Vinicius’ absence.
A working setup
A lot was said in the buildup to the season about the various systems Ancelotti could utilise for the 2023-24 campaign. In the end, it was clear that the 4-4-2 diamond sat best with the players in the squad.
Los Blancos adopted the aforementioned formation in all three of their La Liga games so far and have a 100% win record as of now.
The formation has not proven to be foolproof, but its positives have well outweighed the negatives.
The Bellingham factor
Jude Bellingham has been Real Madrid’s single most decisive factor this season. The new signing has enjoyed a stupendous start to life in Spain with five-goal contributions in just three appearances.
In fact, he has the joint highest goal contributions in Europe’s top ten league this season and is only matched by Takumi Minamino.
The manager’s decision to stick with the 4-4-2 setup could thus be a result of Bellingham’s stability as a single attacking midfielder.
The Englishman has produced wonders for Los Blancos in the current system this season, and altering it because of a single injury could result in direct destabilisation.
There just does not appear to be any respite from injuries for Real Madrid.
Just when it appeared that they were close to having their full squad – barring the two long-term absentees – the Merengues have been struck down by fresh injuries this week.
Arda Guler, who was on the cusp of being named in the squad for the Las Palmas clash, injured himself in training on Tuesday.
And now, during the game against Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid have lost key defender David Alaba to an injury.
Close to the 40th-minute mark, Alaba went down on the ground clutching his leg and appeared to be in quite a bit of discomfort.
Soon enough, the medical staff arrived to take a look at the Austrian and seconds later he was off the pitch and straight towards the tunnel.
Lucas Vazquez came on to replace the injured Alaba, with Nacho Fernandez moving into the centre-back position alongside Antonio Rudiger.
Alaba’s injury leaves Carlo Ancelotti with just two fit centre-backs in Rudiger and Nacho, which is set to be a matter of great concern.
The hope will be that Alaba’s condition is nothing serious and that he is able to mount a quick recovery.
