Real Madrid’s first LaLiga fixture is less than a month away, and the team is preparing well with intense pre-season training combined with regular training matches. Carlo Ancelotti is keenly looking at every player attending the training sessions in the Valdebebas, and he can expect a full-strength Real Madrid squad after a few days, as the players who participated in the international tournaments would be returning from their respective vacations.
With a new manager at the helm, it’s always going to be difficult to predict his formation and tactics. Don Carlo isn’t someone new to the Bernabeu, but the squad is different and even the footballing approach in LaLiga is different from what it used to be eight years ago.
In his first term, Carletto implemented a 4-3-3 with the legendary BBC trident upfront and the relentless motor Angel Di Maria placed in the midfield, in 2013/14. In the season after, his approach changed with injuries, and he used a 4-4-2 with James Rodriguez and Isco in the midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, for many games. It is going to be interesting to see what’s going to be his formation now.
He might be inclined towards a 4-3-3, given the number of wingers in the squad, and he used the same formation against Fuenlabrada in a training match on 11th July. But given the presence of Martin Ødegaard, he might also look forward to using a different formation. But in any formation, he would have to use someone down the right-wing, which has been a spot of concern in the last two seasons.
When Zidane returned to the Bernabeu in 2019, he planned to use Marco Asensio as the RW, alongside Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard. But an unfortunate ACL injury to the Spaniard changed the plans, and Zidane had no fixed RW in the season, with him often changing formations and personnel. The same continued in 2020/21 because of Marco Asensio’s inconsistency and Rodrygo’s hamstring tear.
With the presence of various players this season, it’s going to be interesting to see who’ll be the main right-winger this season. I’ve seen a lot of people say that Mbappe will be the perfect player to fill that position of concern. Though his arrival looks possible, I highly doubt if he’ll play as a right-winger. He has been playing through the left for the most part of the last three seasons, a position that has brought the best out of him. Even if Real sign him, I highly doubt Ancelotti won’t use a top player in his best position. It’s going to be complicated due to Hazard’s presence, but I don’t see Mbappe as a right-winger, for the moment.
But let’s leave the topic of a player aside and focus more on the players who are currently there in the squad. The current options for RW are Rodrygo Goes, Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale and Lucas Vazquez, with youngsters like Sergio Arribas and Marvin Park likely to continue with Castilla, and fill in the spots when required. Let’s have a look at all the options available, and analyse who might be the best option.
Lucas Vazquez
It is fair to say that Lucas Vazquez might be the only pure RW in the current squad, with Asensio, Rodrygo and Bale (at times) preferring to play from the left. He played as a right-back for most of the 2020/21 season, but he is still a contender for the right-wing position and might prove to be a great weapon for Carlo Ancelotti.
Lucas has never been considered as a first-choice right-winger by the fans and has been considered as a utility player by many. But during certain stages of his career, he has been considered as a first-choice under Santiago Solari and in Zinedine Zidane’s second spell. In fact, Lucas started for more than 20 games in a row last season between October 2020 and January 2021, with around a quarter of those games coming as an RW. And in my opinion, he also looked like the best option available during last season.
Vazquez’s relentless work rate, creative abilities and ability to link up well with Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal obviously make him a great contender for the position of a right-winger. He’s a runner, and he’s highly suited to the modern game. He’s not a natural goalscorer, but the classic winger has a knack for scoring goals on the break, arriving into positions at the right time due to his pace. And the best part of the Spaniard’s game is his creative gameplay from the wide areas. Like Arjen Robben cutting in from the right and taking a shot, Lucas Vazquez beating the defenders with his stepovers and curling in an accurate cross or cutback from the right-wing is inevitable.
And one can say that Vazquez’s goal output as a winger is underrated. Between 2015 and 2018, he had produced at least 14 goal contributions every season, despite his limited playing time, and he produced as high as 8 goals and 16 assists in the 2017/18 season according to Transfermarkt, which is his career-best. In his overall Real Madrid career, he has contributed to a goal once every 147 minutes as a right-winger, which is a decent output for a winger. Vazquez didn’t play under Carlo Ancelotti in his first-stint as Real’s manager, but he could be one individual who can benefit highly from the Italian’s ultra-attacking system.
Vazquez could be a highly useful player, but there are certain limitations in his game like his decision making and technical limitations, which is the reason why he has faced some criticism throughout his career. He could be a starter for any other club, but he chose to stay here at his boyhood club, where he knows he might not be the first choice. His loyalty and discipline can make any manager love him, but I highly doubt if Don Carlo would see Lucas as a first-choice RW.
Lucas might be the second-choice RB irrespective of Odriozola’s presence, but with Ancelotti focusing more on goalscoring wingers, Lucas won’t be the first-choice RW. But he might be definitely used as a rotational option, or as a substitute who can work wonder against tired legs. Given his crossing abilities, his numbers could improve a lot if a goalscorer is used on the other wing, who can get into the box and latch onto the cross at the right time.
Marco Asensio
The Mallorcan made a great start to his Real Madrid career by scoring on his debut in each of LaLiga, UEFA Champions League, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and, Supercopa de Espana. Real Madrid love such goalscoring wingers, and they thought Asensio could be one in the future. Zidane went to the extent of saying Asensio’s left foot was the best he had seen since Messi. But Asensio’s career has been highly disappointing since 2018.
He scored 10 and 11 goals in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons respectively, but since then he has failed to hit the 10-goal mark in the next three seasons. It would be harsh to judge his 2019/20 season, a season that was curtailed by an ACL injury, but he looked mediocre in 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons.
Asensio produced only seven goals and two assists in 2020/21, out of which two goals and two assists came from the left, while only five goals came from the right, the position in which he played the most number of minutes. There are several reasons why Asensio has been below-par in the 2020/21 season. But most of it can be attributed to the fact that he isn’t a natural RW, and he doesn’t have the skill-set to excel in that position.
Asensio isn’t that suited for the right-wing in the first place. He is more of an attacking midfielder who likes to be given a free role and create something with his linkup play or crosses from wide areas. He is a left-footed player, but that doesn’t make every left-footed player suitable for the RW position. His 1v1 abilities down the right aren’t that great, and he is forced to make a backpass or cross due to his lack of pace. He isn’t that adventurous in the first place.
Asensio’s 1v1 abilities are a lot better on the left side, where it becomes easier for him to shield the ball with his left foot and beat the defender on his outside, to get into crossing positions. He loves playing as an attacking midfielder or left-winger, but at a club like Real Madrid, you don’t get to choose your position. You have to accept your manager’s decision and make some minor adjustments in your game to adapt to the position and be useful to the team.
Ancelotti loves goalscoring wingers, but above all, he prefers wingers who are quick with both their movement and decision making, like Gareth Bale and Angel Di Maria. Asensio isn’t that quick in either of them, and it is difficult to see him as an LW when the likes of Hazard, Vinicius and possibly Mbappe will be there. The Spaniard has made his intentions clear that he wants to continue here, and it is going to be interesting to see how he’ll be used. He might not get chances as a no.10 due to the presence of a younger and better Martin Odegaard.
The only other position where he might get chances is right-wing. He is 25 now, and he can’t be resting easy citing the fact that it’s not his natural position. He needs to work on his weaknesses and try to adapt to the position. And he also needs to make use of his strengths. He is a great shooter and passer, he should focus more on extracting the best out of his skill-set and get into more scoring positions and create more clear-cut chances with quicker decision making.
Ancelotti has mentioned that he wants to implement a brand of vertical football, and if Asensio wants to become an integral part of that he needs to be quicker and stronger. He is 180 cm tall and he could be a good aerial target, but for that to happen he needs to improve his physique to succeed in duels and work on his heading abilities. This might be his last chance, and it would be better if he understands the gravity of his situation.
Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo’s case is a curious one. He is actually a natural LW, but he had been used as an RW for most of his career under Zidane, and even Asensio was above him in the pecking order for the LW position. It is to be seen if he will be used on the left under Ancelotti, but let us focus on his role as an RW for now, and how he can perform as an RW under Don Carlo.
In the two seasons he has spent at Real Madrid, he has scored 9 goals and assisted 9 in 2731 minutes, according to FBRef. He played 398 minutes on the left, and 2184 minutes came from the right according to Transfermarkt. Of course, these minutes don’t include the time where he swapped wings, but the eye test does give you the feeling that he’s better from the left. 2 goals and 2 assists came from the left, while 7 goals and 7 assists came from the right. Given the minutes he got to play from the right, better numbers are expected from him, but let us take a deeper look into his gameplay from the right.
Rodrygo is a better dribbler from the left, where it becomes easier for him to cut inside with his right foot. From the right, he has to attempt the beat the defender on his outside, and his pace enables him to do that with ease. But when he tries to cut in with his right and get into central positions, it becomes difficult for him to shield the ball and he gets easily overpowered by the defender. Due to that, Rodrygo is often limited to wide areas, and he has to rely on one-twos with Benzema or the full-back to get into space behind the defensive line.
That also explains Rodrygo’s better-attacking numbers in 2020/21, as he had registered six assists in the previous season. When he gets into space behind the defensive line, the angle becomes narrow for him to shoot, and chooses to cut back or cross the ball to claim an assist. The decision to shoot from the right has been successful on only one occasion, in the game against Granada in May. This explains why the Brazilian is in the 20th percentile of non-penalty goals per 90 while being in the 99th percentile of assists per 90, with him managing 0.53 assists per 90 minutes, as per FBRef.
Rodrygo did score 7 goals in 2019/20, due to some clever off-the-ball movement and world-class finishing with both his feet. This season he has to make sure that he can bring his best game again, that too consistently. I’ve seen him play more from the left during the training session videos of this pre-season, and he did well in the training game against Fuenlabrada as he assisted twice. But he should be prepared for a left-wing position as well, due to the presence of Hazard and Vinicius.
Ancelotti likes to play inverted wingers, so it is going to be interesting to see if Rodrygo can be the first choice RW while Gareth Bale is present at the club. But if Rodrygo is given chances as the RW and if Don Carlo can implement a counter-attacking setup, then Rodrygo will get a lot more space to exploit, and a quick player like him with better decision making and finishing can register better numbers.
Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale was pretty much uninterested in life at Madrid during the second half of the 2019/20 season, with injuries and off the field controversies taking a toll on him. He wasn’t a player Zidane wanted, and it looked like the impending divorce was finally happening, with Gareth returning to Tottenham on loan for a season. Many didn’t have a lot of expectations in him, but he had a fantastic season at Spurs, claiming 16 goals and 3 assists in 1667 minutes, which is an incredible return. And he might be staying at Real Madrid this season, to finish his contract and take a shot at new life under Carlo Ancelotti.
Gareth Bale isn’t the same monster he was once under Carlo Ancelotti, with age and injuries taking a toll on him. He isn’t that quick now, and sometimes it looks like he might injure himself with one hard sprint. But he is still a great player, something which he has proved at Tottenham and Wales.
This version of Bale isn’t an athletic one, but he is still a skilful and intelligent one. He still has a lethal left foot with which he can finish from any angle and release a player onto the goal with a beautiful pass. He’s a fantastic header of the ball and has an excellent footballing brain which helps him overachieve. He has some flashy skill moves with a smooth first touch that enables him to operate in tight spaces.
As my colleague Hridyam has explained, in LaLiga he might not be able to register the same numbers he produced in the Premier League due to lesser space to operate and the better standard of defending in LaLiga. But in my opinion, he might still be the best option to play on the right. And if we don’t sign Mbappe, the Welsh dragon might be the only goalscoring winger that we might have in the team.
Carlo Ancelotti would try to bring the best out of a 32-year-old Gareth Bale, who can be an aerial target, a creative influence as well as a lethal player on the break. He would love to have such a weapon available.
That being said, Ancelotti also needs to be prepared for a Bale whose defensive contribution isn’t that great at this age, and a Bale whose fitness is never guaranteed. Ancelotti, along with Antonio Pintus, should be trying their best to make sure Real Madrid and the fans can witness the best version possible.