Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was open about his plans for the season following their 3-2 victory over Milan in their first preseason friendly. On Sunday night they tried out a new formation, but Ancelotti revealed his plans for star signing Jude Bellingham in three different scenarios.
The Italian coach spoke on the virtues of Real Madrid’s new diamond formation, before delving into where he thought Bellingham would work best in each of the variations he is preferring.
“For the system we have used today, he will be the number ‘ten’, if we play with a 4-3-3 it will be the right-sided central midfielder (interior). For him, the best thing is to be a ‘ten’ because he is close to the area. It depends on the system. We have to wait a bit to find out how it goes during the season,” he told Marca.
One of the major questions for Los Blancos is who will be their main striker, if they do not bring in further reinforcements. Only Joselu Mato has operated as a natural number nine in his career, and with no certainty on the future of Kylian Mbappe, but Ancelotti is convinced Rodrygo can do the job.
“If we play 4-3-3, the reference striker must be Rodrygo and out wide we have Valverde, Guler… We have options. We also have the option of playing with a midfielder and a striker, and in that case Bellingham-Rodrygo is the best option.”
“It’s rare to find players with that kind of quality. And it’s strange to find him at 20 years old. He has room for improvement, but we are lucky to have him with us. We have fantastic young players. This team gives me a lot of confidence, because I see fantastic young players in training.”
The early preseason noises coming out of the Real Madrid camp have certainly been positive, with plenty impressed with the likes of Bellingham and Arda Guler. Equally there is no shortage of talent on the pitch for Real Madrid at any one time, but Ancelotti is overseeing a transition away from one of their greatest strikers ever without a natural replacement.
