This season, Real Madrid are unlikely to win any trophies as they lost to their rivals, Barcelona, in the extra time of the Copa del Rey final after a close matchup.
Although on paper, the Merengues can still win La Liga, Barcelona currently hold a four-point lead at the top of the table and given the level of performances Los Blancos have shown recently, it is almost impossible for them to close the gap.
There are several reasons behind Real Madrid’s struggles this season. Injuries to key players, poor decision-making by the club management, the declining effectiveness of Carlo Ancelotti's tactics and the failure of the remaining players in the squad to perform at a high level have all played a role.
Real Madrid have lost all the El Clasicos they have played this season, which isn’t a record they would be proud of.
However, in their latest matchup against Barcelona, Los Blancos fought till the end and threw a few good punches before conceding a late goal in the extra-time. This was courtesy to a shift in formation from Ancelotti.
He dropped one attacker up front to gain more control in the centre of the field by deploying a diamond formation. So, should Real Madrid take the risk of shifting to a two-attacker formation permanently?
Rodrygo cannot be considered a nailed-on Real Madrid starter anymore
Carlo Ancelotti has relied on Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo up front for the majority of matches this season. Rodrygo, who was always appreciated for his teamwork and shooting ability, has looked like a shadow of his past self recently.
He has scored just 13 goals in as many as 50 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions this season.
In the matchup against Barcelona as well, the Brazilian right winger ghosted and didn’t have any impact on the game. It was only after Mbappe was brought on in his place that Real Madrid posed an attacking threat.
In that matchup, Real Madrid switched from their traditional 4-3-3 formation and played in a 4-4-2 diamond formation. This gave more freedom to Bellingham, who was the best player that day for the Los Blancos. It also aided in providing through balls to Vinicius and Mbappe with greater ease in the second half.
If we look back at that matchup, the front-two formula is clearly the way ahead. There is also the fact that this could be Ancelotti’s last season at the club a a manager and if rumours are to be believed, Xavi Alonso is the front runner for landing the managerial job after the Italian.
Alonso prefers to play a three centre-back setup at the back and he can shift to a two attacker formation as well. At preset Alonso likes to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation.
However, he is also known to have used some other formations in his managerial career, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he switches to a two attacker formation as well at Real Madrid.
Real Madrid face Barcelona once again on Sunday. After three consecutive defeats, it will be a must-win matchup for the Los Blancos, both as a matter of prestige and to increase their chances of winning La Liga.
It remains to be seen if Ancelotti opts for two attackers once again, given the success of that formation the last time they faced each other.