After the signings of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, Real Madrid almost have 'too' many attacking talents to fit into one side. Poor Carlo Ancelotti, how will he cope with this problem?
Sport360° has a look at the three best options that Carlo Ancelotti can use to enable Madrid to dominate in both La Liga and Europe.
Option 1 (4-1-2-3)
Although he is blessed with plenty of options, this is likely to be Carlo Ancelotti’s ‘Gala XI’ for his team’s most important games, with Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez slotting into the centre of midfield alongside chief conductor Luka Modric, who became increasingly important as last season went on.
James and Kroos will share playmaker duties with the former likely also to drift wide. The potent ‘BBC’ front trio of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo resume their lethal pace and power based partnership.'
Option 2 (4-2-1-3)
An alternative would be the ‘double pivot’ formation, providing more defensive cover by positioning Xabi Alonso in a protective role just in front of the back four.
Ancelotti remains an enormous admirer of Alonso, and the stability he brings, and a lot depends on how well the veteran’s increasingly fragile body stands up to the rigours of a long season. If he can stay fit, Alonso may well remain first choice for Ancelotti whenever possible, nudging either Modric or Sami Khedira (if he's not sold by the club) onto the bench.
Option 3 (4-2-4)
At times towards the end of last season, Ancelotti asked his team to switch from a 4-3-3 formation into a 4-2-4 when they won possession.
He could repeat that option this year, with Kroos and Modric playing a more disciplined central role while James pushes further forward in support of Karim Benzema, or shifting to the left and allowing Ronaldo to play as a central forward.
However, this formation is extremely flexible with Ronaldo, Bale and James all capable of interchanging onto either flank or playing through the middle.
