MU Shorts
Bellingham, Garcia start in a 4-4-2: How Real Madrid could line up against AC Milan
Real Madrid will kick off their pre-season tour of the United States of America when they face AC Milan in their first of their four friendly encounters on Sunday night (Monday 4 am CET).
The game will be played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California with Los Blancos looking to make a solid start to their preparations for the 2023/24 campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti has admitted to trying different shapes and tactics heading into the new season and will get an opportunity to test out his new ideas in a match against the Rossoneri and see how things work out.
Fans will also get a look at the new signings such as Jude Bellingham, Fran Garcia, and Joselu. Arda Guler’s involvement is under doubt after he missed training on Saturday due to discomfort in his leg. Alvaro Odriozola is another player likely to miss out tomorrow after he also did not train on Saturday due to overload.
There could be surprises in store from Ancelotti as far as the team selection for the match against Milan is concerned. And here we take a look at how Real Madrid could line up at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Sunday.
Starters
Thibaut Courtois has been the undisputed starter in goal for Real Madrid and is expected to retain his place in the lineup, but Andriy Lunin could get some minutes in the second half.
In front of the goalkeeper, Dani Carvajal is expected to slot in at right-back while new signing Fran Garcia should get a run-out at left-back after impressing in training so far. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy should replace them respectively at some point in the second half.
The manager had tried out the defensive pairing of Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez in training and could stick with the same, to give the latter a chance to lead the team out as the club captain following Karim Benzema’s exit.
As far as the midfield is concerned, Ancelotti has been experimenting with a four-man unit in a diamond formation so far in training. And there is a very good chance that he will test the tactic against Milan.
Based on the teams that Ancelotti tried in training earlier in the week, Eduardo Camavinga could line up as the lone pivot over Aurelien Tchouameni.
Federico Valverde and Luka Modric would be the two interior midfielders while blockbuster new signing Jude Bellingham starts at the tip as the No. 10.
After half-time, the manager could switch to the quartet of Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Nico Paz, and Arda Guler, provided the latter is fit to feature.
Up top, it will be interesting to see how Ancelotti goes about his selection with just one natural striker at his disposal. The manager paired Joselu up with Vinicius Jr in a training match and could try that combination out on Sunday, with Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz likely coming in as changes for the second half.
Real Madrid Predicted XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Garcia; Camavinga; Valverde, Modric; Bellingham; Joselu, Vinicius.
Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal, but the performance once again left a lot to be desired.
The result did little to hide the problems that continue to affect Jose Mourinho’s team, and the refereeing controversies became a talking point once more.
Yan Diomande’s second-half goal helped Los Blancos secure three valuable points. That said, Madrid struggled to establish sustained attacking control over the game.
There were some encouraging individual performances, but the same questions about the midfield, Arda Guler’s positioning and the team’s attacking structure cropped up.
Here are four things we learned from Real Madrid’s narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
Yan Diomande is ready to start more regularly
Diomande was easily Madrid’s most dangerous attacking player against Villarreal, and his decisive goal was a consequence of an impressive performance.
What makes the youngster particularly valuable is his willingness to attack defenders directly. Madrid have often looked hesitant in possession this season.
They have kept the ball and circulated it without necessarily focusing on one-v-one situations, which could be directly related to Vinicius Junior’s poor form.
Diomande offered something different in this regard. His directness forced full-backs into making decisions and opened up space for his team-mates.
With Vinicius now facing a potential suspension, Mourinho has an obvious opportunity to give Diomande greater responsibility.
Valverde-Tchouameni double pivot does not work
Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni are excellent footballers. That said, they do not seem to work well together for Madrid.
Both offer physicality, defensive awareness and the ability to cover large areas. Those qualities are important, particularly for a team that can be vulnerable when opponents counter-attack.
However, Madrid’s biggest problem against Villarreal was not a lack of defensive protection. It was their difficulty progressing the ball into dangerous areas.
Too often, both midfielders moved the ball sideways without offering a penetrating option that broke the Villarreal defence.
Valverde’s greatest strengths include his powerful running and ability to influence different phases of play.
He looked much better operating as a flank player than as a midfielder, and it is high time Mourinho started using Bernardo Silva more regularly.
Arda Guler is far more useful operating centrally
Guler’s positioning remains another important tactical question. The Turkey international possesses the vision, technical quality and passing range to influence the game and turn it in Madrid’s favour.
Against Villarreal, Madrid looked more fluid whenever Guler moved inside and helped connect the midfield with the forwards.
From central positions, he can receive between opposition lines, combine with Jude Bellingham and identify forward runs before defenders have time to react.
Even if Guler starts on the wing, his primary role has to be drifting inside and almost acting as a second No. 10 in build-up alongside Bellingham.
Having excellent attack-minded overlapping right-backs like Denzel Dumfries and Trent Alexander-Arnold allows Guler to do just that.
Madrid must start using Guler more centrally in the coming weeks and make use of his excellent vision to improve their attacking structure.
A group of talented individuals
Perhaps the biggest concern is that Madrid continue to look more dangerous through individual moments of brilliance rather than collective play.
There is no shortage of quality. Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham, Guler and Diomande all possess the ability to decide matches.
However, Mourinho is yet to identify a system that gives the team structure and allows these stars to thrive in unison.
When one player receives possession, team-mates should already be moving into positions that create multiple options.
Too often, Madrid’s attackers appear disconnected, leaving the player on the ball to solve the situation alone.
With a trip to the Spotify Camp Nou approaching, Madrid need to address this situation sooner rather than later.
Mourinho has the talent available. Now he needs to make those players function as a team if he harbours any hope of success in La Liga this season.
