There has been a multi-year race for the biggest transfer window of the summer 2024. Real Madrid have been chasing Kylian Mbappe for about half a decade and were publicly rejected two years ago.
Real Madrid are not charging Mbappe a transfer fee as the French striker's contract with Paris St Germain is about to expire. Mbappe called out, Real Madrid announced a new signing - things were just as simple as that.
Real's most recent official match was the 2023-2024 Champions League final. At that time, they used a 4-3-1-2 formation with Vinicius and Rodrygo playing as left and right wingers. Eduardo Camavinga is a holding midfielder, with Toni Kroos in left midfield and Federico Valverde playing slightly higher on the opposite wing.
This is almost the main framework used by coach Carlo Ancelotti last season. If healthy, Aurelien Tchouameni is often given priority to start over Camavinga (who sometimes plays as a full-back). Luka Modric, despite his age, played 46 games (23 as a starter and 23 as a substitute) for Real last season.
In short, the way Ancelotti runs Los Blancos is basically: There are always 4 defenders, while Bellingham is on the line between an attacking midfielder and a striker.
Real Madrid's recent secret to success is flexibility. Valverde and Camavinga can play in any position, while Bellingham actually take on two roles at the same time. When Ancelotti was forced to change the formation, moving from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 formation, he always found a way to solve it with absolute trust in his students.
So, will Ancelotti keep the 4-4-2 formation, with Mbappe simply replacing Rodrygo, or will he move to the 4-3-3 formation, with Mbappe playing as a center forward and Bellingham moving down to midfield? The second choice seems the most reasonable, as Mbappe played as a centre forward for most of last season, while Bellingham has only just become accustomed to it. As for Rodrygo, it is worth remembering that the Brazilian star scored 17 goals and 8 assists in all competitions last season.
However, regardless of the specific formation and position, Ancelotti will ask Mbappe and Vinicius to find a way to work together in the same space. Although both have their own talents, they will have to aim for an area on the pitch.
Both of them also tend to finish on the left wing of the opponent's penalty area. If optimistic, this could scare Real's opponents, but on the contrary, it would also lead to chaos.
In any case, the "White Vultures" strikers may take some time to build a common understanding. The problem is, there will be limitations during that time. Despite his extremely fast speed and young age (25), Mbappe does not tend to put pressure and support the defense.
While the attack needs time to connect, Ancelotti's defense will suffer the consequences of passiveness. How long will it take for the Champions League king to find a way to balance the stars and the big ego on the pitch?
