Ever since one of the greatest players in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, the club has experienced a lot of problems in attack. In the three seasons from 2018 to 2021, Real Madrid have failed to hit the 100 goal mark twice, and have won only one major trophy. This speaks loads about the impact Cristiano Ronaldo had in the attack, and how the attack has struggled to cope with his absence.
Karim Benzema stepped up in the best way possible and has consistently scored 25+ goals in the past three seasons. But he didn’t have the luxury of having support from another player. His longstanding partner Gareth Bale had a massive decline in both motivation and his physical powers, while the player who was purchased to be Benzema’s partner, Eden Hazard has been injured for more than 60% of the last two seasons.
As my colleague Kevin has explained in detail, Real Madrid’s wings have been an area of concern. Real Madrid’s wingers apart from Hazard are mostly young, and they aren’t that lethal before the goal. Have a look at their stats in the 2020/21 season, with numbers taken from Transfermarkt:
- Eden Hazard: 4 goals and 1 assist in 886 minutes
- Marco Asensio: 7 goals and 2 assists in 2614 minutes
- Vinicius Jr: 6 goals and 7 assists in 2722 minutes
- Rodrygo Goes: 2 goals and 8 assists in 1298 minutes
We can exclude Lucas Vazquez, with him playing as a right-back for the most part of the season. But these numbers aren’t that good for a winger playing for Real Madrid, a team that is known for their brand of attacking football and ruthlessness against opponents. In the last twenty years, Real Madrid have always had at least two reliable goalscorers in their team, but in the last two years, the club has relied on only one goalscorer in Benzema, which has costed the team on multiple occasions.
The problem might have a solution named Kylian Mbappe, but for the amount of money and time invested in the youngsters, there is a need for the club to bring the best out of their young wingers and help them reach their potential. Carlo Ancelotti will have a huge task on his hands, and he has to try to create a formula that can extract better production from the wingers, with equal effort from their side as well.
Let us have a look at three such ways in which Real Madrid’s wingers are able to improve their goal output.
1. By using the wingers to their strengths
The managers apply a basic principle when a player is unable to adapt to a certain system or if he can’t bring the best out of that particular player in a particular role. They will try to use that player to their strengths and make them feel that they’re in their comfort zone. This might be helpful for the player, as they know how to play in a role they are familiar with and helps them play their natural game.
Using a player to his strength doesn’t mean an overall change in a system, it might just be a minor tactical tweak in terms of positioning, responsibilities given to the player etc. Sometimes it does demand a change in a system, but not every time. There are some ways in which Don Carlo can bring the best out of every individual.
Vinicius Jr: Let us take the example of Vinicius first. Vinicius’ main strengths are his pace and dribbling. He isn’t a tight space dribbler like Brahim Diaz or Takefusa Kubo, players with a low centre of gravity and a good first touch who can burst through tight spaces with ease. His dribbling is more suited for counter-attacking football, where there is greater scope for him to use his pace.
Given Vinicius’ profile, it would be tough to see him succeed in a slow-paced possession-based system against the low-blocks deployed by the teams of LaLiga. Passing isn’t particularly his strength, and he isn’t a great player with his back facing the goal. But he can definitely create some danger and get into more 1v1 situations when used in a counter-attacking setup, where he will be often released past the defensive line of the opposition, and wouldn’t be forced to collect the ball wide on the left wing with 10 men waiting in the box to block his path. It is a different matter if he can finish the goal or not, but with him being used to his strengths, he will definitely see more chances which increase the probability of a goal as well. If we all are lucky, he might finish as he did against Alisson Becker.
Marco Asensio: Coming to Asensio, he has been heavily used as a right-winger. But he is actually a player who feels comfortable behind a striker or can do well as a left-winger too. When deployed as a classic winger on the left, he will definitely attempt more crosses and cutbacks, which increases the probability of him getting an assist, but given the competition for the left wing, he might not get a chance there.
But Asensio can definitely be used as a second striker or an attacking midfielder, or even as a false-nine. His passing is great, his ability to operate in tight spaces and with his back facing the goal is fine. And his main strength would be his shooting from range when given some space, and we will get to see him attempt more shots if we see him play through the middle. It’s difficult to predict if he can score more from the middle, but the overall output may increase and he can play better, with greater comfort and confidence.
Rodrygo: Compared to the names above, Rodrygo has shown greater promise in ensuring an end product. He scored just 2 goals but excelled in the creative side, registering six assists in LaLiga. Considering his injuries and the minutes he played, these numbers are decent, but he can be even better when used to his strength, given his maturity and skill-set.
Rodrygo is a natural left-winger, though he has the ability to play on the right as well. But the best of Rodrygo can be seen from the left, as it was visible in Santos. Even against Eibar in December 2020, Rodrygo was great from the left, getting into goalscoring positions and assisting Benzema with a superb chipped pass. From the right-wing Rodrygo is limited to wide areas, with crosses, combinational plays, and cutbacks becoming his only tools. He can’t get many shooting opportunities from the right, and even the limited opportunities might be from a tight angle.
If played on the left wing and given some freedom, Rodrygo can definitely be better and can score more. Considering the competition and possible arrival of Mbappe, that chance will be hard to come by, but he can work wonders if given a chance.
These are just theories based on what we’ve seen of them so far. And everything I’ve mentioned above can’t be implemented by Carlo Ancelotti at the same time. He could implement that sporadically, or even more regularly if he thinks that chance will be worth it. Managers wouldn’t hesitate to make big changes to the systems for players like Cristiano and Messi, but it is interesting to see for whom Ancelotti might make that change. Reports do suggest that Ancelotti wants to make Rodrygo a key player, and he spoke about how Vinicius should score more in his first press conference as Real Madrid’s manager.
2. Tactical changes and demanding greater off the ball movement from wingers
Under Zidane, Madridistas were used to slow possession-based buildups that would often end with crosses from wide areas. When Cristiano and Bale were present in the box with Benzema occupying clever positions, the probability of that cross being buried was high. But now, Benzema is the only aerial target present in the box, which does decrease the effectiveness of the crossing tactic.
Wingers like Hazard, Vinicius and Rodrygo aren’t that tall to be aerial targets in the box, while Asensio is 180 cm tall but doesn’t get into those positions. This definitely calls for two things, a change in approach and an improvement in the off-the-ball movement of wingers.
With a change in management, we can definitely expect a change of approach. Carlo Ancelotti is known for setting up an attacking system in which players are expected to be vertical and quick in transitions and minimize horizontal passes. It does sound exciting, but it is be seen how successfully Don Carlo can implement his philosophy against the low-blocks of LaLiga, where teams find defending for their lives preferable to attacking and provide spaces to opponents. If Ancelotti is able to implement the above tactics, then he can definitely expect to see better production from the wings.
But there are few more changes that can be helpful for the team, as counter-attacking football cant be implemented against every team in LaLiga. The first tactic is to decrease the number of crosses and focus more on quick cutbacks. Of course, crossing when needed is important, but hit and hope crosses should be avoided by the players. And given the profiles of the current wingers, quick cutbacks can be dangerous if the wingers get into those positions.
Cutbacks wouldn’t be possible from the corner-flag zone, and teams can easily block them. For them, there is a need to make sure the low block of the opponents is narrowed by the team’s setup. This can be possible by operating more from Zone-14, the area outside the D, which would become easier if players like Martin Odegaard start more. If this is possible, players like Marcelo, Dani Carvajal, and Lucas Vazquez will have a feast from the flanks. But this should be supported with proper off-the-ball movement from wingers. A Karim Benzema surrounded by four defenders can’t score every time.
If anyone observes the heatmaps of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, it is easy to realise that both of them occupy wide areas most of the time. They start from the wide, but most of the time they play as advanced fullbacks in the buildup phases. They need to get into the box more frequently and occupy halfspaces. And they would have to avoid being stationary in the box, it is important to stay on their feet and be ready to move like a fox in the box to create space for themselves and confuse their markers. With intelligent positioning, they can be the recipients of a cutback or a low cross.
Even if they are occupying the wide positions, that will be useful in one way as that would stretch the opposition defence, which creates little pockets of space. They can be useful, but if they aren’t exploited by a winger, we can’t expect a goal.
I often see people talk about how we don’t attempt a lot of through balls, given our midfield quality. It is an interesting topic, but what we don’t see here is that through balls need recipients on the other end who make the necessary movement to be released by the midfielder. With better off-the-ball movement from forwards, midfielders will have many options, and their life will be made any easier.
3. Improvements from individuals in certain aspects
I have written a lot about how the manager should make use of his players, which tactics he should use and so on. But what’s important here is that all those theories on paper will be successful only if they are implemented well on the field. And for our wingers to implement those plans successfully, they need to work on their weaknesses and improve as a player.
Vinicius has always been seen as a player with a high ceiling, ever since his fantastic debut season in 2018/19. He brought excitement and entertainment to the eyes of Madridistas, but he couldn’t provide them with happiness as he lacked an end product most of the time. He is 21 now, and there is a need for him to take the next step. He needs to work on his finishing and decision-making, which have been his main weaknesses that have drawn a lot of critics. If he improves in that aspect, there will be no stopping him, but unfortunately, there aren’t any ifs and buts in football.
Rodrygo is a more polished footballer when compared to his compatriot, but he isn’t as adventurous as Vinicius. He is much more of a calculated player with a cool and mature head. He always prefers the safe option, which is good as he avoids failure, but at times it appears like a sign of low confidence. Sometimes you’ve got to take the risk as a player and believe more in yourself. Maybe that might not be the best option in the eyes of his teammates, but if he succeeds, he will relish that moment. Some critics often point out Cristiano Ronaldo’s habit of shooting from ridiculous distances. But that willingness to take a big step often paid off, and a shot that could’ve drawn criticism if the ball didn’t go in, was hailed as one of his best goals ever. You’ve just got to believe in yourself and take a risk at times. And Rodrygo should also work on his consistency. It would be very harsh to call him inconsistent, but there have been some signs of inconsistency in the past. If he works on them, his numbers could very well improve.
Coming to Marco Asensio, he isn’t a natural goalscorer, but he can be one if he works on few aspects like movement. He has a great technique, he can score more if he gets into those positions. He can score headers as well if he works on his physique and heading skills. But most importantly, he needs to aim for more. He often has a purple patch for some games, and then ghosts in the next few games. The most recent example is the stretch of games in April, where he scored four continuous goals. Maybe they are signs of complacency, but as a Real Madrid player, he should aim for more and fight for more.
Last but not the least, let us talk about Eden Hazard. He isn’t a player who can score 40 goals per season but can still guarantee us 25+ goal contributions per season. But unfortunately, his injuries have prevented him from playing at a high level. At the moment, the only where he can work is on his fitness, and Antonio Pintus will have to help him out in some way. All he needs to do is to stay fit and look for more minutes. A class player like him will definitely improve with playing time.