There has been a long-running pursuit for the biggest transfer of the summer 2024. Real Madrid has been chasing Kylian Mbappe for over half a decade and was publicly rejected two years ago.
Real Madrid will not have to pay a transfer fee for Mbappe because the contract between the French striker and Paris St Germain is about to expire. Mbappe has hinted at leaving, and Real Madrid has announced a new signing - it's as simple as that.
The team's most recent official match was the Champions League final in the 2023-2024 season. At that time, they used a 4-3-1-2 formation with Vinicius and Rodrygo playing as left and right wingers. Eduardo Camavinga was the central midfielder, with Toni Kroos on the left and Federico Valverde playing slightly higher on the opposite flank.
This is almost the core framework used by coach Carlo Ancelotti in the previous season. If healthy, Aurelien Tchouameni is usually preferred over Camavinga (who sometimes switches to play as a left-back). Luka Modric, despite his age, still played 46 games (23 starts, 23 substitutes) for Real last season.
In summary, Ancelotti's way of operating Los Blancos is basically: Always have 4 defenders, and Bellingham is on the borderline between a midfielder and a striker.
The secret to Real Madrid's recent success is flexibility. Valverde and Camavinga can play in any position, while Bellingham actually takes on two roles at once. When Ancelotti is forced to change the lineup, switching from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 formation, he always finds a way to solve it by having complete trust in his players.
So, will Ancelotti stick to the 4-4-2 formation, with Mbappe simply replacing Rodrygo, or will he switch back to the 4-3-3 formation, with Mbappe playing as a central striker and Bellingham dropping back into midfield? The latter option seems the most reasonable, as Mbappe has played as a central striker for most of last season, while Bellingham is still getting familiar. Meanwhile, Rodrygo should be remembered for scoring 17 goals and providing 8 assists across all competitions last season.
However, regardless of the formation and specific positions, Ancelotti will require Mbappe and Vinicius to find a way to work together in the same space. Although both have individual talents, they will have to aim for the same area on the pitch.
Both also have a tendency to shoot from the left side of the opponent's penalty box. If optimistic, this could make Real's opponents fearful, but on the other hand, it could also lead to chaos.
Whatever the case, Real's strikers may take some time to develop their chemistry. The problem is, there will be limitations during that time. Although Mbappe is extremely fast and young (25), he does not have a tendency to apply pressure and support the defense.
While the attack needs time to connect, Ancelotti's defense will have to suffer the consequences of being passive. Will the Champions League king have to spend how long to find a way to balance between many stars and big egos on the pitch?
