Real Madrid – Has Carlo Ancelotti got it wrong?

Madrid in a Tactical Tangle

It has not been an easy start for Carlo Ancelotti since taking over the reins at the Bernabeu this summer. As league stats go, he has had a poor one and Madrid currently sit five points behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, both of whom have enjoyed flawless starts to the campaign.

A home defeat to Atletí and a draw away at Villarreal are where the five points have been lost, however, Madrid narrowly escaped dropping more at Elche and Levante; they should have been beaten in Villarreal too. If not for a hat-trick of incredibly late Cristiano Ronaldo goals and inspired performances from Diego Lopez in recent weeks, Madrid could easily be as much as 10 points off the pace.

Performances have been very average to say the least. This is down to several factors; one key issue that has plagued the new manager are injuries. Injuries concerning Marcelo, Varane and Coentrao has meant an inconsistent backline, which is never ideal. Xabi Alonso has been out for over 200 days now and his loss is very significant. To use an old footballing cliché, Xabi Alonso really is the tick to the Real Madrid watch.

His organisational skills and ability to help the transition between defence and attack are missing. Modric is a more creative player, but he can’t get things moving as quickly as Alonso can. Khedira is fantastic at what he does, but cannot be relied on in attack. Illarramendi is still trying to find his feet at his new club and hasn’t been given a solid run of starts to be able to do this.

Then let’s not forget the £100 million Welshman that is currently occupying the Real Madrid treatment table. The complex and prolonged nature of his transfer meant he is a couple of months behind the rest in terms of readiness and match fitness. The other issue, aside from injuries though is the playing style that is trying to be implemented.

Under Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid were set up to be at their most dangerous on the break. Watching Madrid counter from an opposition corner under Mourinho was like watching an avalanche at times; ruthless and unstoppable. Problem was though that teams wisened up to this last season and began allowing Real Madrid to have the ball. When charged with breaking down a stiff defence on their own, Mourinho’s team was often very poor.

This issue has carried on to this season, with the problem that Madrid is now trying to implement a new possession-based style. So far though, it simply hasn’t been working. Players often look quite confused as to what they should be doing or where they should be moving. Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo have shown great understanding, but have also found themselves trying to play in the same areas too; with Isco looking almost lost at times.

The disconnect between the two holding players and the attacking quartet has been quite disconcerting for Madrid. Barcelona work the style so well by having so much pressure so close to the opposition box and waiting for an opening. With Real Madrid though, possession is a lot deeper, meaning much less of a threat to the defending team.

Ancelotti is being faced with another problem, that of Karim Benzema. Fans are becoming increasingly vocal in their support for Alvaro Morata to start games ahead of the Frenchman. Few would argue Morata doesn’t deserve a chance either. When Bale returns there will also have to be some sort of tactical reshuffle to incorporate him. Marca have speculated that Madrid will line up against Barcelona at the end of the month with a forward three of Di Maria, Ronaldo and Bale.

It could just be as simple as the new manager having a lack of time to integrate the system and get his point across. The problem with Real Madrid though, is that few get time. These problems need to be resolved quickly or Madrid risk losing more ground in the race for La Liga. Barcelona only dropped 14 points the whole of last season, Madrid have already dropped five. They cannot afford any more slip-ups.