How James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos will fit into Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid

James Rodriguez during his unveiling as a new Real Madrid player

After 12 long years, an elusive dream called La Decima finally turned into reality when Real Madrid overcame city rivals Atletico Madrid to win their 10th Champions League title. At times it seemed almost impossible for Los Blancos and the club representatives who devoted themselves in order to attain that unparalleled status in European club footballing history. Since the likes of Raul, Hierro and Zidane lifted their ninth cup, all of the Spanish capitol supporters believed that the coveted 10th was just around the corner.

Real’s correct tactics and players helped to achieve La Decima

Of course, that success came on the back of some record-breaking marquee signings. Current Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo was brought in from Manchester United for a then world record fee of £80m. Jose Mourinho followed in the next season and with his managerial merits in Europe, hopes at the Bernabeu were revived again. But even though they managed to reach two consecutive semi-finals, Real’s ambitions were crushed as they slipped on the penultimate last step on both occasions.

After Mourinho resigned, in stepped another Champions League specialist – Carlo Ancelotti. The former AC Milan manager was brought in and his first acquisition was a world record signing in the form of Gareth Bale from Tottenham. He changed the system completely and reinstated the missing attractive attacking football that people would often associate with Real Madrid.

Luka Modric flourished in his new 4-3-3 system and Angel Di Maria moved back into the midfield. After some experimentation, the correct team and tactics were established and Real set out on their expedition of La Decima, which they successfully completed along with a delightful Copa Del Rey victory over arch rivals Barcelona.

Targets James and Kroos achieved

But even after a triumphant season, Madrid as usual, never rest on their laurels when the summer transfer window opens. They are without a doubt a giant in the transfer market and are almost unrivalled when it comes to buying the high-profile names. And this season was no different as president Florentino Perez splurged on Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos before acquiring 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez from Monaco.

Just like many others before him, the Colombian attacking midfielder had a childhood dream to wear the white colors. And after proving himself as one of the best talents in Brazil, Perez did not waste any time to sign the 23-year-old midfielder. And Kroos, after winning the World Cup with Germany, wanted to face new challenges and chose Madrid as his destination.

However, as brilliant as they are, the squad depth that Ancelotti already had at his disposal piles on more pressure on the Italian as he will have a lot of thinking and revamping to do when he selects his starting XI and the system for them in the next season. The new arrivals have prompted a couple of players to leave the capitol club and some have been reportedly linked to a Bernabeu exit. One such candidate who is most likely to leave is Di Maria, who has been a very important player for Los Blancos in the last three seasons. That does mean that Ancelotti will have some rethinking to do now to restructure the existing system.

So how will Kroos and Rodriguez be played in Madrid’s tactics by Ancelotti? Will he prefer to bank on the formations and tactics of their successful previous season or will they be allotted into a new setup?

Formation and tactics

4-3-3 with Rodriguez up front

The 4-3-3 formation brought immense dimension and mobility when compared to the 4-2-3-1 that Mourinho applied during his tenure. Ancelotti found the perfect role for Modric in the centre as Xabi Alonso and Di Maria partnered him to form a three-man midfield. Alonso sat as the deep-lying playmaker who would start the build up from the back and pull off those occasional long through passes. Modric adapted to a free-roaming midfielder alongside him while Di Maria with his skills and speed served as the linkup between attack and defence with his high work ethics.

With Kroos coming into the picture and Di Maria probably heading out, it means that Real’s possession game will get stronger in the centre. All the three midfielders almost share similar attributes (except for Alonso’s defending abilities) and that gives Ancelotti the option to play a free-flowing game where the team can see more of the ball and be central oriented team in building up play.

On the other hand, Rodriguez can be applied in a false 9 role upfront alongside Ronaldo and Bale in the flanks. Fielding this squad makes them tactically versatile as the team will be capable of rotating well between a possession game, stretch the play and also attack from the wider positions through two absolute world class players.

However, the most significant weakness is having three players of similar styles in a midfield causes a team to lose its flexibility. Kroos has all the capabilities of a magnificent playmaker, but one aspect where he certainly lags is the speed. Di Maria’s biggest contribution was the constant runs he would make on both halves, helping in the attack and getting down to help his team in defence. That attribute of his stopped oppositions from finding spaces while attacking Real.

But in Kroos, we cannot expect him to be that effective while he tries to win the ball back from the opposition. James in a false 9 position removes Benzema from the equation which also takes away a target man from the team. Also, the physical presence will be missing up front especially when the aerial balls are delivered into the box. That deters from fielding in such a formation which may take away a direct approach from Madrid’s style of play.

4-3-1-2 with Ronaldo and Bale leading the attack

The 4-3-2-1 formation utilises Rodriguez in his natural role as an attacking midfielder while Ronaldo and Bale can be the two striking presence in the forward line. The midfield trio of Kroos- Modric-Alonso is retained and this shapes up to be the most appropriate formation for the kind of players at Ancelotti’s disposal.

James in a CAM role means that he can display his full abilities operating just behind the lethal duo of Ronaldo and Bale. It allows him to provide those incisive passes and link up well between the midfield and attack. Ronaldo and Bale can compliment each other in attack and together these three can work out a lethal combo up front. ehind them Kroos and Modric can retain possession and distribute the passes between them while Alonso sits in front of the defence acting both as a playmaker and a sweeper.

4-2-3-1 with Benzema as the striker

Reverting to the formation that Mourinho used in his era means that both Benzema and James will get to start in Ancelotti’s starting XI. Rodriguez can resume his natural role in attacking midfield while Benzema will be lining up ahead of him on the pitch. With Ronaldo and Bale on the two flanks, it will comprise of one of the most fearsome attacks in Europe.

But the problem will arise in the two central midfield roles as Ancelotti will have a decision to make between Alonso, Kroos and Modric. Playing Modric and Kroos together makes them a weak prospect when defending specially against the big opponents. Alonso’s contribution in front of the defence is invaluable and leaving him out will certainly weaken their balance in the middle. On the other hand, one of Kroos or Modric if benched will waste the option to use more creativity in the centre. So fielding his players in this formation may arise selection problems for the Italian.

What we can expect

Real Madrid, as always, are expected to win all the trophies they compete for due to their richly built squad and enormous stature in Europe. And with Rodriguez and Kroos as their new acquisitions, they will be looking to defend their Champions League trophy which hasn’t been achieved by any club in the Champions League era.

The La Liga title race against arch-rivals Barcelona will be an intense matchup just like every season. But both squads spending on world class talents makes it a more exciting prospect. The two new signings will be under immense pressure to perform owing to the competition in Real’s bench and just like they promised in their unveiling, they have to win titles at a club which settles for nothing less than that.

Edited by Staff Editor