The puzzle of football and egos of Ancelotti's Madrid
In the 40th minute of the first half of the derby, Davide Ancelotti came off the bench, approached Valverde and pointed towards Camavinga and Kroos. Carlo's son, the man in his father's shadow for almost the entire tactical section of Madrid, told the Uruguayan that the Frenchman and the German should exchange positions. The Frenchman had to fall a little to the left and the former Bayern player would be the new '5' for the white team against Atlético. The coaching staff was not convinced by Kroos' position in defense, without the ability to reach the help of Fran García, nor by Camavinga's position in attack, more anchored than usual. The Madrid bench, in fact, was not liking it at all in general.
At half-time Modric, whom he had included in an eleven with 5 midfielders, stayed in the locker room and Joselu returned Bellingham to the midfielder to share the lead with an overly focused Rodrygo, so much so that he finished the game leaning to the left, where he most enjoy, while Brahim completed the attacking trio on the right. And beyond the defeat of the derby, right now the big headache in Valdebebas is the puzzle of the system and the management of the minutes and virtues of the footballers. How should Madrid play?
If there is one thing that has been clear at the Bernabéu for years, it is the 4-3-3, with Isco's small incisions to seat Bale in Zidane's first stage. The size of the midfield formed by Casemiro, Kroos and Modric and the power of the BBC had made it very easy to bet on the three forward system. Even after Cristiano left, with the arrival of Vinicius or Hazard, the most comfortable thing had been to maintain the scheme. Also after Bale's goodbye, with the appearance of Rodrygo and the minutes on the right of Asensio and Valverde. Different players within the same formation.
The arrival of Bellingham
But the arrival of Bellingham and Benzema's trip to Arabia, one star for another but in different positions, has changed everything.. Madrid has signed a vintage midfielder, it has lost the '9' who had just won the Ballon d'Or and Joselu has landed in his place. These are big words to rethink the training that has led him to win five Champions Leagues in the last decade.. Or so they thought in the sports management and on the bench. “The best have to play,” he glided through Valdebebas in the summer. And maybe from there everything will be understood.
For some time now, Madrid has prioritized names instead of positions. And that doesn't have to be a negative circumstance.. Camavinga is not a left back, but he had an excellent mid-season on the wing, being more interior than wing in attack and enhancing his characteristics. The same with Valverde, capable of playing as a winger. And when it comes to accessing the market, the best option will always be the best signing. Did Madrid, in its 4-3-3, need another midfielder? Probably not. Is Bellingham a good signing? Absolutely. A historic one.
Names before positions
The Madrid of the Galacticos accumulated talent and from there placed it on the field. Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Raúl, Ronaldo, Owen… Now we are in a similar situation. How to organize Madrid's talent pool? In the summer, the coaching staff faced a role with six holes and eight names: Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Valverde, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Kroos and Modric. A list without a nine despite Ancelotti's requests. The Italian accepted the designs of the sports management and changed the scheme to manage a locker room full of midfielders, both young and veteran.
The diamond in the center of the field generates one more position in which to rotate, as important as that is for the management of the locker room, and enhances the highest scoring version of Bellingham, but it has changed the position of the Englishman, who played as the third midfielder in Dortmund, Vinicius and Rodrygo. The Brazilians, who exploded from the wing, now start more focused and score a goal. “They have freedom, I don't want to take away their creativity,” Ancelotti justified.. The pieces must fit.