Ancelotti considering serious tactical change after Barcelona debacle; forward could be sacrificed | OneFootball

Sunday’s 2-5 hammering at the hands of FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup was a major wake-up call for Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti.

While the Merengues have won two trophies this season already and are second in La Liga, the team has been well below the expected level.

Especially in the big games against Barcelona (twice), Liverpool, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid, Los Blancos have been found wanting big time.

Tactical tweaks incoming

As such, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic now reports that manager Ancelotti is seriously considering making some tactical changes, for the big games in particular, after the debacle against Barcelona.

Real Madrid started the Super Cup final with four attack-minded players in Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham.

But the manager and his staff are now seriously considering changing this to find greater balance against opponents that are more challenging.

Real Madrid went on an eight-game unbeaten run prior to the Clasico defeat and the idea of putting forth a star-studded forward line seemed to be working well.

However, Ancelotti and the coaching staff have now come to a decision to avoid going into big games with four attackers and instead have an alternate plan that can provide the team more solidity and balance.

Rodrygo the one to be axed?

If Ancelotti & co. decide to move forward with this change, everything suggests that it will be Brazilian forward Rodrygo who will be sacrificed for an extra midfielder.

The coaching staff values the forward’s defensive work rate and efforts off the ball but it is extremely unlikely that either Vinicius or Mbappe get dropped.

As such, it would be Rodrygo who gets the axe if Real Madrid revert to a 4-4-2 setup which would see Federico Valverde move to the right flank and Bellingham to the left.