Following Karim Benzema’s departure at the end of the 2022-23 season, Real Madrid had been left without a senior striker in their ranks.
They have since signed Joselu on a season-long loan deal from Espanyol, although there is an expectation that the 33-year-old is more of a replacement for the departed Mariano Diaz, rather than Benzema/
This means that Real Madrid are still searching for a new star striker, although their pursuits of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have been complicated due to the asking prices requested by Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
If another striker is not signed, Diario AS have reported that Carlo Ancelotti is considering altering his 4-3-3 system for next season. This would involve the “striker” playing as more of a false nine, similar to a 4-3-1-2, which would allow Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to play more and centrally and more advanced.
Ancelotti has picked out new signing Jude Bellingham as the ideal candidate to play in his deeper false nine role, as he has shown a scoring touch during his years at Borussia Dortmund, which included a 14-goal haul in the 2022-23 season.
Vinicius and Rodrygo have definitely shown more of a goalscoring threat over the last couple of years, and this system could certainly see that improve even more so going forward. It remains to be seen whether it is employed by Real Madrid next season.
