'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Carlo Ancelotti is not a man prone to exaggeration. Yet another reason why he remains the perfect man to hold the reins at Real Madrid, where a quick look at the bench would have most managers salivating.
Most teams would be reeling under the effect of losing a player like Gareth Bale for a couple of weeks - Tottenham Hotspur, remember, are yet to recover sufficiently from the Welshman’s departure last year.
Perhaps it is unfair to compare the Spurs to the dizzying heights of Los Blancos – regardless of the rabonas left in Erik Lamela’s locker.
For when you have a player like Isco to take the place of the world’s most expensive player, you can breathe a little easier. Wait - is that James Rodriguez in the number 10 shirt?
But to attribute Real Madrid’s successes solely to their lure as a club you simply do not say no to – that would be a disservice to Ancelotti’s tactical acumen. Being spoiled for choice is something the Italian will relish, as his footballing brain evaluates the possibilities.
So which way will he go – Isco, Bale or Rodriguez?
Isco’s re-emergence and its repercussions on Ancelotti’s 4-4-2 formation
The Spaniard has hardly put a foot wrong since making the move to Real Madrid a year previously – perhaps unfairly overshadowed by the blockbuster arrival of Gareth Bale. Initially deployed as the central playmaker in a 4-2-3-1, he took to the Bernabeu with a quite staggering confidence.
Ancelotti’s tweaking to the 4-3-3 to accommodate Bale meant that Isco had to be sacrificed for the sake of the team’s balance. Sami Khedira’s injury, however, had the youngster back in contention for a regular starting place – a role in which he was impressive on the way to the La Decima.
This time around, the little man has taken advantage of yet another injury - ironically, one to Gareth Bale himself.
And it is here, in the optimum use of his resources that the genius of Carlo Ancelotti shines through. Not many managers are willing to shake things around tactically when the going gets tough. And you need only look as far as Manuel Pellegrini’s surprising stubbornness with regard to European fixtures to see that.
Or indeed, Arsene Wenger’s rather futile search for perfection.
Ancelotti has resorted to the 4-4-2 formation – regarded by most as an archaic system of operation no longer suited to the modern game. Genius is often revealed in its simplicity; and the Italian’s clarity has come from a proper understanding of the players at his disposal.
Isco has been deployed much in the same way that Andres Iniesta has been at Barcelona (or the David Silva we saw at Manchester City last season). They prefer to drift into the center, their keen eye and even quicker feet meaning that they are generally able to stay in the thick of things while escaping the attention that the more central players would take from the opposition.
Ronaldo’s multi-faceted threat
But by far the biggest reason for Isco’s success on that flank has been team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Ancelotti knows that he has in the Portuguese an outfield player who can do just about anything. In the form that he is in currently, all he needs is a cape to complete the picture.
Crisitiano’s immense threat purely as a winger means that when Isco moves into a more central position, the Portuguese will hold his position out wide, coming a lot deeper than the conventional forward in a 4-4-2.
This ensures that the team holds its shape, while the opposition knows his ability to break away at speed from a deeper, wider position demands constant attention.
When Isco occupies the areas more seen by a conventional winger, Ronaldo is free to drop deep himself, finding that little bit of space that enables him to fire away from improbable range, as he so loves to do.
Alternately, Ronaldo will work as a conventional striker, playing off the shoulder of the defense as Benzema’s abilities as a playmaker mean that Isco does not get isolated out wide.
The double pivot
Isco himself is always on hand to make sure that the double pivot of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric does not get crowded out; and his work rate has been appreciated by the Bernabeu faithful.
It has to be remembered that all three are essentially playmakers operating in unfamiliar roles – Ancelotti has prioritised ability and motivation over all other concerns.
Modric seems the most attuned to the role demanded of him, and even he will not be used to this level of defensive responsibility. While Kroos, who already possesses a glittering trophy cabinet to rival that of established legends of the game, will have come to Madrid hoping to prove a point to his former employees.
The duo’s exceptional positional sense and ball-playing abilities mean that they are rarely caught out by the opposition, and it certainly helps that they have willing runners like Isco and James Rodriguez who keep the team compact.
It is a strategy that has been paying dividends - Ancelotti himself was deeply impressed with Kroos’ performance against Rayo Vallecano this weekend, calling him “the best player on the pitch.”
Defensive Priorities
When not in possession of the ball, Real Madrid revert to the classic “two banks of four” that means that there are enough bodies to negate an advancing opposition.
Ancelotti has gone on record to say that this system is better for the team defensively, allowing the team to press better when not in possession.
Alternately, it adds a touch of unpredictability to Ronaldo’s role within the side. He seems to be revelling at the chance to play further upfield than he is accustomed to – perhaps a sign as to how the side may operate later on in the season, when (or is it if?) his legs begin to give out.
Meanwhile, the deep-lying playmakers who form the double pivot remain primed to release Ronaldo and Benzema on the counter-attack – and there is hardly a more exhilarating sight in world football than this team advancing on a back-tracking opposition.
Gareth Bale’s return means reverting to the successful 4-3-3
Gareth Bale was a constant threat last night against Rayo Vallecano, and the prospect of the Welshman on the sidelines is a remote one. He poses a very different threat to that of Isco – his pace and direct style echoing what Ronaldo offers on the opposite flank.
As such, it seems a toss-up between Isco and James Rodriguez for the role of the playmaker operating ahead of the pivot. The fluidity of the 4-3-3 means that this could conceivably become a 4-2-3-1 - a tinkering that will be made in light of the situation at hand.
It is a role that both players are ideally suited for – and it was the Columbian who got the nod against Rayo. Ancelotti has made it clear that it is not a sign of things to come – that it was a decision taken purely in light of the comparatively less game time that Rodriguez has enjoyed recently.
Ahead of this season, that decision may have seemed like a no-brainer – the World Cup hero had become football’s hottest property in a matter of weeks, and Real’s capture of the prodigy was seen as the perfect stage for Rodriguez to shine.
But Isco has turned it around purely on the strength of his performances of late; not to forget that he has the whole-hearted support of the fans behind him. They finally have a Spanish hero to cheer for since the days when Raul Gonzales was knocking them in for fun at the Bernabeu.
Tactical Permutations
Ancelotti, however, is not one to be swayed by patriotic emotion – not that Isco’s abilities need any further endorsement. From a tactical point of view, the ex-Malaga starlet can slot in seamlessly in just about any formation.
The same cannot be said of Bale, whose abilities may be curbed on the right flank of the far more restrictive 4-4-2. Playing him on the left with Ronaldo ahead of him doesn’t make much tactical sense either – you could even be charged with a borderline criminal offense for limiting that level of explosiveness on the same flank.
But by far, Ancelotti’s greatest strength is the trust his charges have in him (thank God for Sergio Ramos’ stoppage time equaliser in May), and their willingness to prove themselves as worthy of a starting berth.
Both Isco and Rodriguez are supremely talented footballers, and yet relatively unproven in the company of Real Madrid’s serial winners. They will be raring to prove themselves worthy of this team.
Gareth Bale possesses all the qualities that Brits so pride in their footballers – unassuming, hard-working and a delight to work with.
And under the watchful eye of a man who should consider writing a book on The Ideal Real Madrid Manager, they may come to dominate European football like the golden days of old.
On a lighter note, one suspects that if Ancelotti ever did get around to penning that undoubted best-seller, even Jose Mourinho would consent to thumbing through it. Nothing can be done about the look of pure loathing on his features, though.
