Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed where he thinks Jude Bellingham’s best position in the team is.
The Englishman made his highly-anticipated debut as Los Blancos beat AC Milan, and he was highly impressive as an advanced midfielder in a diamond formation.
It is expected that Real Madrid will deviate from their usual 4-3-3 shape this season as they restructure following the departure of Karim Benzema, and Bellingham’s role has now been explained.
“The position we are going to use him, as we played tonight, is going to be number 10,” he stated after the Milan fixture.
“If we play 4-3-3 maybe he can play as a left midfielder or a right midfielder, we will try to use his characteristics.
“The best position for him is number 10, because he has more possibilities and is closest to the opposite goal.
“It depends because this is a system that we are trying in this moment, but we have to wait a little bit, how it goes during the season.”
What formations do Real Madrid use?
Ancelotti’s desire to try a new formation is significant, as it is a change that Real Madrid have not made in almost a decade.
Ever since Mesut Ozil left the club in 2013, Real have predominantly used a 4-3-3 shape without a pure number ten such as Kaka, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric as the two advanced midfielders.
Natural number tens such as Isco and James Rodriguez often played on the wings rather than in a central role, and perhaps Bellingham may be subject to the same if Real continues with their usual shape.
The diamond shape will allow Bellingham to play in an advanced role close to the box, but in the centre, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo coming to a more central role, and this shape was trialled against Milan.
It remains to be seen how long Ancelotti will attempt to use the new shape, and whether he will switch back to 4-3-3. If he decides to go with their usual formation, it will be interesting to see whether he trusts Bellingham to play a deeper central role, like he has for England, or if he will play on the wings to keep him closer to the opposition box.