Real Madrid: Best possible midfield combinations after Casemiro exit

In the winter of 2013, a 20-year-old boy stepped on the pastures of the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano embarking on a voyage into the unknown. Carlos Henrique Casemiro, often nicknamed ‘The Tank’ by his fellow footballers because of his strong stature and indomitable presence on the field, braved all odds in order to reach the dizzying heights of European Football with Real Madrid and etch his name among the best ever.

Coming from a humble background, Casemiro knew how to withstand the tides of time, waiting patiently until he became an undroppable for Real Madrid.

The legendary KCM midfield lived its golden course and has now finally reached its conclusion with the departure of Casemiro to Manchester United this summer. Quite surprisingly, the youngest of the trio, the Brazilian was expected to be the last person to pull the curtain down on his Real Madrid career.

With Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid have unknowingly signed the replacement for the Brazilian stalwart. Los Blancos awaited a transitional phase, but it wasn’t expected to be this early. Carlo Ancelotti has hinted that the club could stick with the six midfielders that they already instead of bringing in new faces. Here, we will delve into how the Italian will combine them in different formations and will look to fill the void left by Casemiro.

1. Tchouameni for Casemiro

Tchouameni may be young but he is one of the most brightest emerging talents from Europe, reckoned for his ball-winning capabilities and assuming a similar role to that of Casemiro.

It is quite impossible that Real Madrid signed the Frenchman for a transfer fee around €100 million just for him to watch the game from the sidelines. Now that Casemiro’s gone, Tchouameni is expected to get regular minutes consistently.

The talk is of staying in the 4-3-3 formation with the only change coming with Tchouameni replacing Casemiro in the role of a defensive midfielder. This way it also helps Toni Kroos, who can play there but is better in a more free role.

Tchouameni’s inexperience may be a question in the initial stages but it can be expected that he will soon become regular in this Real Madrid team.

2. Tchouameni and Camavinga in a double pivot

Next, we come to a formation where Eduardo Camavinga gets more playing time, which he deserves as well, after consistently putting up strong work.

Although Camavinga is expected to replace Kroos at some point in time, Ancelotti has always referred to him as a defensive-minded midfielder with serious attacking instincts. It was expected with Casemiro, that he and Tchouameni would be featuring in a double pivot during the season and the same thing can now be expected with just the Frenchman replacing the departing Brazilian in the same formation.

While with Casemiro it was one thing, this proposed double pivot needs to establish its reliability in training before we could see them in an official match.

3. An ‘outrageous’  4-2-2-2

Difficult to see it become a reality but we wanted to add our own ‘outrageous’ thoughts in the last combination expected from Real Madrid.

In a 4-2-2-2, Tchouameni would take the defensive midfielder role just in front of the defensive line while Dani Ceballos, who is expected to get more playing time this season, would take up a more attacking role, considering his keenness in pressuring opponents and strive to win loose balls in the final third.

Regarding the attack, we would be benching Rodrygo and position a duo of Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema up front. This attacking duo of midfielders would consist of Ceballos and the other one would be Marco Asensio, whose ability to operate in tight spaces and a quick burst of energy could redeem some of the sacrifices on the wings.

Final verdict on Real Madrid’s midfield

Overall, there are several alternatives. Some may seem absurd, while others are apparent and mainly foreseeable. Los Blancos’ midfield is brimming with potential, and it looks that Casemiro’s absence has simply allowed for more experiments and innovative ideas that would otherwise be stifled due to the comfort zone KCM would place the squad in.