The Real Madrid squad will be seeing some new faces ahead of the 23/24 season while some key players have headed in the opposite direction as well.
Karim Benzema has joined Al-Ittihad and Marco Asensio has departed as well. Both were important to Carlo Ancelotti’s plans in the previous campaign. Other than that, Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz have also left.
Benzema had been Real Madrid’s main number 9 for years. And after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman took over as the club’s main source of goals as well as the franchise player.
Benzema typically played up top with two wingers around him. However with the Frenchman’s exit from the club, and the only true number 9 Real Madrid have right now are Joselu and Alvaro. Thus, Ancelotti could be looking to switch up his tactics next season to get the best out of this squad.
As reported by AS, Ancelotti has redesigned his squad for next season and will switch to a 4-3-1-2 system. Jude Bellingham will play as a number 10.
The Italian manager has mostly stuck to his 4-3-3 formation since his return to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021. However, with the squad he has available right now, a change might be required to bring about the best results possible.
The 4-3-1-2 formation would see Ancelotti use a midfield trio of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde with Bellingham in front of them in the number 10 role. The defensive shape will remain the same but Fran Garcia is expected to come in as the new starting left-back.
Finally, without a world-class striker available, a front two of Vinicius and Rodrygo could be used. Both have had great seasons but it will be interesting to see how they perform without a tradition centre-forward to link up with.