Ancelotti resurrects his 'BBC plan'

The pair of Real Madrid losses to Sheriff and Espanyol before the international break left Carlo Ancelotti looking for answers. Nineteen subsequent days without a game allowed him to take a step back and reflect on his mistakes, and he came back with a clear plan.

He decided that the best system for this team was a 4-3-3 and he made that clear in a press conference, not hiding anything. Los Blancos used it against Shakhtar and Barcelona and the results show that it was the right call.

Ancelotti knew he had to win both aforementioned games and he returned to the system that worked so well for him when he had the BBC trident in attack. Without Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius and Rodrygo have stepped up and have been performing to a very high level. In between them, Karim Benzema has been so good that he's a contender for the Ballon d'Or.

In El Clasico, the plan worked a treat. It allowed Real Madrid to give up the ball and to counterattack the Catalans, with Vinicius causing all sorts of problems for Oscar Mingueza in particular.

The plan against Shakhtar was much the same and it worked as they thumped the Ukrainian side.

A plan with Vinicius in mind

Ancelotti knows that Vinicius is a decisive player, and one who is now living up to the potential he showed when he first arrived at the club. The Italian knows that the youngster can make a real difference for his side and that he has to play when he is available.

Ferland Mendy's presence at left-back also helps, as he gives defensive security so that Vinicius doesn't have to track back as much as he would with another player playing behind him. Plus, when David Alaba is at left-back, Vinicius has to drift into the middle to let the Austrian overlap.

It remains to be seen how Los Blancos will fare against sides who want to sit back and keep them out, but the 4-3-3 and counterattacking approach looks like it will serve them well against bigger sides this season.

Adblock test (Why?)