With Kylian Mbappe announced as Real Madrid’s latest signing, the capital club has won its 15th European Cup and acquired arguably the best player in the world in a week. Flexing about 15 European cups and then announcing the signing of the most coveted player in the world on a free transfer are things a club can only dream about. But for Real Madrid, it is a reality.
Despite the obvious excitement and hoorah about the signing, some scepticism is involved. Madrid already has an immensely talented squad and is spearheaded by Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. Adding Kylian Mbappe to this team has been pointed out by the sceptics as they believe he could potentially cause unrest in the dressing room. Also, there are questions about whether he would fit tactically within this team and manager Carlo Ancelotti’s structure.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s track record of managing superstars throughout his illustrious career proves there should be no issues between the manager and the player. More importantly, Ancelotti’s ability to adjust his tactics to the players at his disposal suggests that there should be no tactical issues.
Embed from Getty ImagesSome of the most obvious names that come to mind when thinking about the players Ancelotti has managed are Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Gareth Bale, and many more. Not one of these players hasn’t spoken highly of Ancelotti. They all adored the Italian and have waxed lyrical about his man-management skills. More importantly, the best years for these players have all been when Ancelotti was their manager.
Kaka won the Ballon d’Or under Ancelotti in 2007, and Ronaldo won the gong in 2013 and 2014 under the Italian’s tutelage. Bale and Ancelotti arrived in Madrid in the same summer in 2013 and won the club’s La Decima (10th European Cup) together. Lampard, Drogba, and Terry were the backbone of the 2009/10 Premier League-winning side under Ancelotti, and they broke all kinds of records. So, there is no doubt that Ancelotti can get the best out of Mbappe, especially with the Frenchman hitting his physical peak.
How does Kylian Mbappe fit in tactically under Carlo Ancelotti?
For starters, Carlo Ancelotti’s team does not possess a fixed system. As mentioned, the Italian has always adapted to the players he had and never stuck to a specific formation in any of the clubs he’s managed. Case in point would be his AC Milan team from 2006 and his Real Madrid side from 2014. Milan played a 4-4-2 diamond, whilst his Madrid side played a 4-3-3 formation that maximised the best out of the players he’s had.
Moreover, Ancelotti builds the team around his best players/player. When you look at his AC Milan side from 2006, Kaka was the best player on the team, barring none. The Brazilian’s best position on the pitch was the classic number 10 role. To deploy him in the right areas on the central pitch, Ancelotti deployed a 4-4-2 diamond formation. This allowed him to position Kaka as the central attacking midfielder (the 10 role) behind his two strikers: Andriy Shevchenko, Filippo Inzaghi and/or Hernan Crespo. This also allowed him to play his best midfielders without taking away Kaka’s freedom on the pitch as he played the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso.
Many moons later, his Real Madrid side from 2013-2015 also played to the strengths of his best player, Cristiano Ronaldo. When Ancelotti took over in the summer of 2013 from Jose Mourinho, the formation used by the team until then was 4-2-3-1 to maximise the creative role of Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria. But with the addition of Bale, Isco and Asier Illaramendi and with the sale of Ozil, Ancelotti switched to a 4-3-3 that allowed him to unleash Ronaldo and Bale on either flanks and Karim Benzema through the middle. However, the starting XI retained the creative force of Di Maria alongside Modric and a deep-lying midfielder in Xabi Alonso.
Now, coming to the modern-day Real Madrid side, the obvious clash in position on the pitch is between Mbappe and Vinicius. Both love to play on the left flank and cut inside. Neither of them are classic strikers, and even if they start the game centrally, their action zones always start from the left flank. However, Mbappe is a right-winger by trade, as evidenced by his days at AS Monaco. This could be the solution for Ancelotti as he would deploy Mbappe on the right flank but switch him with Vinicius throughout the game. The Brazilian is no slouch on the right flank, but the left wing remains his best position. This would be very akin to what Ronaldo and Bale did throughout their time together at Madrid, even with the former ageing and taking up more central roles.
The bottom line is that Carlo Ancelotti will do whatever is necessary and use whatever system it takes to get the best out of Kylian Mbappe without compromising the potency of his team. Kylian Mbappe hopes that Ancelotti can take him to the heights and prepare him with the tools required to become the undisputed best player in the world.