Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid at first glance seems to make Vinicius and Rodrygo uneasy, but the person most affected will be Bellingham when he is no longer free to move and has to retreat to replace Toni Kroos

Kylian Mbappe’s transfer to Real Madrid was completed and the French striker made his debut at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Now, coach Carlo Ancelotti will face the problem that needs to be solved: adding another diamond to the team that just won La Liga and the Champions League.

In fact, Ancelotti was informed about Mbappe’s arrival in February, but it wasn’t until everything was officially completed that “Don Carlo” really faced a difficult problem.

Ancelotti’s preferred attacking scheme last season only had room for Vinicius and Rodrygo on the wings without a centre-forward. Sometimes Joselu is brought onto the field when a change is needed, and Jude Bellingham is a midfielder. Mbappe’s presence requires Real Madrid to make changes in both tactics and personnel.

So what is the future of attacking players in Madrid? And how can Ancelotti rebalance his winning formula?

Bellingham must return to replace Kroos

From the “box to box” midfielder at Dortmund, Bellingham was assigned a more attacking role at the Bernabeu and completed his task excellently, scoring 23 goals in all competitions (only 1 goal less than the number 1 goalscorer). , Vinicius Junior).

Bellingham is comfortable in the number 10 position, where he has the freedom to move freely, able to push higher when he spots a scoring opportunity. Under Ancelotti, Bellingham were also allowed to make movements between the strikers in their customized 4-4-2 system.

With that strategy, Real Madrid has a “box to box” midfielder when the team is not in possession of the ball and has a number 10 when they are in possession. If Ancelotti continues like this, Mbappé will replace Rodrygo to partner Vinicius Jr. in a𝔱𝔱ack, while Bellingham’s role is unlikely to change too much.

But if and when Ancelotti brings on Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, experts say Bellingham must return to his old role at Dortmund, closer to the central midfielder. That could cause No. 5 to lose some of the “freedom” that helped him excel last season. This possibility is very high as Ancelotti feels he has to increase his defensive duties, and also needs Bellingham’s ability to distribute the ball from midfield after dealer Toni Kroos has retired.

Vinicius may have to play center forward

Vinicius Jr. just had his most successful season at Real Madrid, scoring 24 goals in 39 matches. At a glance, Vinicius seems to be most affected when Mbappe joined Real because the two of them play in the same left wing attacking position.

However, Vinicius Jr. was later placed more centrally and achieved great effect. Since the end of last season, Ancelotti has been doing ideological work to convince Vinicius to move to the middle and the Brazilian player admitted when the season ended: “At first, I was not very convinced but now I am very happy.” when playing there. He always told me that I would score more goals, I didn’t believe him at first but in the end everything went well.”

Ancelotti also said half-jokingly on La Sexta radio: “At this time, it’s a little more difficult for him to return to play on the left wing.”

There aren’t too many worries about Vinicius Jr.’s playing minutes next season. As we have seen, if the customized 4-4-2 scheme continues to be applied, Vinicius and Mbappé can work together in a𝔱𝔱ack, while Rodrygo must sit on the bench.

If Ancelotti favors three strikers, Vinicius Jr. can play on the left wing or center forward. Number 7 rarely appears on the right wing and has not appeared in this position since 2021. Mbappe can also play as a center forward very well, so Vinicius is unlikely to lose his position on the left wing.

Rodrygo is the most versatile of Ancelotti’s strikers, able to play on both wings and centrally, but the number 11 is the most vulnerable if the Italian captain only needs two attacking players.

Rodrygo must accept Joselu’s role

Rodrygo finished last season with 17 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions and was Madrid’s third-highest scorer. His highlight was the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. In both legs, Rodrygo played to the left, scoring two goals and it was he, not Vinicius, who opened up Guardiola’s defense.

But even before Mpbapp’s arrival was confirmed, Rodrygo’s future at Madrid became the focus of attention. In an interview at the end of last season, Rodrygo openly said that he was ready to leave if he felt he was no longer trusted.

Rodrygo is considered the player who suffered the biggest consequences for Real signing Mbappe. Sitting on the bench would be unacceptable for a player who regularly plays in Madrid. Last season, number 11 played 3,706 minutes – only behind Federico Valverde and Antonio Rudiger.

But despite playing regularly, scoring the 3rd most goals on the team and scoring big when facing Man City, last season for Rodrygo was not professionally successful. Number 11, because of his versatility, is forced to play in a few different positions and has difficulty maintaining stability. Rodrygo spoke frankly about his own problems when having to play in the number 9 position in Ancelotti’s customized 4-4-2 formation.

However, to play regularly next season, when Mbappe is present, Rodrygo may have to play as number 9 more, especially when the club agrees to part with Joselu. However, if Ancelotti chooses to play with three strikers, Rodrygo will continue to play on the right wing.

And Rodrygo also needs to be aware that he will not only have to compete with Mbappe or Vinicius, but Real Madrid next season will also have prodigy Endrick while Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler are increasingly maturing.