Real Madrid has devised three plans to try and knock Manchester City out of the Champions League next month according to AS, which cited anonymous sources.
After classic showdowns in the semifinals of the elite competition over the past two seasons, which each side managed to win once a piece before going on to lift the big-eared trophy, the La Liga and Premier League giants will meet at the last eight stage in 2023/2024.
Reacting to the draw last Friday, Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Pep Guardiola’s men are “one of the best teams in Europe”.
With the international break now upon us, and just one league match until the first leg on April 9, the Italian is hard at work thinking of the best approach to adopt for the two-match tie.
He has plenty of options according to AS, which reports that Ancelotti – the record holder for the most final wins in the UCL as a manager – has conjured up no fewer than three different plans.
The Spanish newspaper writes that Ancelotti prefers the 4-4-2 scheme that has worked so well this term, and which currently has his side nursing an eight-point advantage at the summit of the Spanish top flight.
Considering last season’s 4-0 loss in the semifinal second leg at the Etihad, though, he needs a scheme that protects his midfield.
Ancelotti could still go with four midfielders in his team, but he is thinking about a double pivot system that places two center-of-the-park technicians such as Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos more defensively behind Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde while wingers Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo pair as strikers.
In a diamond approach, Tchouameni would be the lone soldier providing support to Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga as Valverde is on the right wing and Vinicius on the left. This would mean that Rodrygo is dropped, and Bellingham is placed more centrally appearing to be a striker on paper.
If Ancelotti goes for Kroos and Tchouameni forming a double pivot, he may also put Valverde and Vinicius ahead of them as Brahim Diaz is a central attacking midfielder and Jude Bellingham the center forward.
As partly-mentioned, only the first of these systems has room for Rodrygo, who, according to Mundo Deportivo, Madrid has put a price tag on amid interest from the Premier League.
Perhaps having him on the bench isn’t such a bad idea, however, considering his super-sub exploits in 2021/2022 where he was vital in wins over Chelsea and City.