Carlo Ancelotti has made the surprising claim that Cristiano Ronaldo is not a ‘striker’ by trade. The former Real Madrid manager had a few words of advice for Zinedine Zidane, advising the Frenchman that Ronaldo needs his ‘freedom’ and should not be consigned to the central striker role alone.
Ancelotti has been expressing his opinion about all things Real Madrid in his weekly column for Chinese outlet Sina Sports , and his latest effort notes that Ronaldo ought to be offered freedom, saying “There is one position which isn't the best one for Cristiano Ronaldo - the centre-forward role. Cristiano doesn't like playing with his back to goal.”
“He prefers to find space out wide on the wings and face the rival goal head on. Cristiano is always able to find his place, because he has a special talent in being able to move into spaces out on the pitch.”
However, Ancelotti was full of praise for Ronaldo, saying “He's one of the best footballers in the history of the game, he's the best forward in the history of football. I've never coached a better player than him.”
Ronaldo needs freedom to thrive
Ancelotti expanded on his tactical analysis of Ronaldo, and elucidated the values of the 4-3-3 formation that allowed Ronaldo to thrive, saying “The team was playing 4-3-3 with Cristiano starting out from the left wing. But we soon found out that he needed greater freedom to be able to cover from ground and be where the action was.”
“That's why sometimes, we'd see Cristiano switching flanks or even acting as the playmaker. Cristiano has to have total freedom so that he is able to believe in what he can do. Giving Cristiano freedom in attack is positive because it makes him even more unpredictable.”
The Italian concluded with a clear message to Zinedine Zidane that the Real Madrid manager should ensure that Ronaldo is absolutely free, saying “To ensure that his team mates offer him the best support possible, he has to feel as though he is free at every moment and in any part of the pitch.”
Ronaldo will probably take the pitch in a shackled role when Real Madrid take on Sevilla in La Liga, looking to ensure the disappointing performance against Las Palmas is not repeated, despite the 2-1 scoreline.
