Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso admitted that he could take inspiration from the way that Carlo Ancelotti deployed Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo together for Brazil.
The South American wingers routinely operated on opposite flanks under Ancelotti while the Italian was in charge of Real Madrid. However, Rodrygo publicly expressed his frustrations with getting shunted around the pitch to accommodate Madrid’s other star players, leading to a summer mired in transfer speculation.
Rodrygo ended up staying in the Spanish capital but his position on the pitch has changed. Alonso, seemingly giving in to the player’s demands, has exclusively started the 24-year-old on his favored left wing. Awkwardly, that is also the side of the pitch Vinicius calls home.
Rather than line them up on either wing, Alonso has taken to picking either Rodrygo or Vinicius on the left while the other drops to the bench. The pair are yet to start a league game together under the incoming manager.
However, Ancelotti has offered Alonso a blueprint to follow which could get the best out of both Brazilians.
Vinicius and Rodrygo formed half of a dizzyingly fluid front four as Brazil strolled to a 5–0 thumping of South Korea during October’s international break. With Chelsea starlet Estêvão largely operating on the right flank, Rodrygo and Vinicius constantly swapped positions with Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha, who tended to drop off the frontline as a No. 10.
Kylian Mbappé may be the best striker on the planet but has shown an increasing willingness to wander into deeper positions, potentially offering up a role for Rodrygo nominally through the middle from where he can dovetail with Vinicius.
“I watched the Brazil game,” Alonso noted ahead of Madrid’s clash with Getafe this weekend. “We were able to use Rodrygo in that position, where he performed very well against South Korea. It’s a possibility we can have for the future.”
Ancelotti is the master of deciphering systems to fit the stack of elite players he has available. “There is no style for me. No Ancelotti style,” he once opined. “There is no one winning system. I think the winning system is to put the players on the pitch [where they are] comfortable.”
Rodrygo, who scored twice, and Vinicius (one goal and an assist) proved to be very comfortable roving around in a 4-2-4 for Brazil this month. However, were Alonso to directly transplant that system to Real Madrid, it may make a few notable figures less settled.
Jude Bellingham Still Finding His Role Under Alonso
In this hypothetical 4-2-4, Jude Bellingham’s role is unclear. Too attack-minded to form one of the midfield double pivots and not nimble enough to operate out wide, the England outcast may be forced into another watching brief at club level.
Yet, Alonso appears to have little appetite for any team without Bellingham in it.
“We need the best Jude,” the retired midfielder said of his recovering star. “Jude has been training and preparing longer since his shoulder surgery...He’s eager to play well and make his teammates play well. I see him happy in training.” Quite what formation will make every Real Madrid player happy in competitive action is still a puzzle for Alonso to solve.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xabi Alonso Hints at Major Real Madrid Tactical Change Inspired by Carlo Ancelotti.