When Real Madrid take on Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday evening, coach Carlo Ancelotti could revert to the attacking formation he used at the start of the season. Ancelotti is expected to revert to the attacking trio of Rodrygo Goes, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior after he dropped Rodrygo for the draw with Las Palmas on Thursday. Ancelotti has also made it clear who will be his starting penalty taker.
The Italian has seen his side struggle with two draws and a win in their first two La Liga games of the season. Two of the team’s five goals in the league have come after Ancelotti withdrew his front three in last week’s win over Real Valladolid, one of which came from the penalty spot.
After battling to go 1-0 up through Fede Valverde’s deflected free-kick, the introduction of Brahim Díaz and Endrick Felipe turned the game around, with both finding the back of the net. It is something neither Mbappé nor Vinícius have managed this season.
The French star joined Real Madrid on a free from Paris Saint-Germain this summer and scored on his competitive debut against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, but is yet to score in the domestic league.
Both Mbappé and Vinícius are keen to take penalties, as Vinícius did in the Canary Islands on Thursday. "It's right to give Mbappé and Vinícius the responsibility, so I prefer them to decide because I have a lot of confidence in them," Ancelotti explained on Saturday. "It will depend on how they are in the game and what each one needs."
Vinícius has scored five penalties in a row, with his only miss as a professional coming in a friendly for Brazil against Chile as a teenager in 2018. Mbappé has been a penalty taker for PSG, but has missed two of his last four for the French club.
In the 2023/24 season, five players took penalties for Real Madrid, with Joselu and Vinícius taking three each. Joselu missed two and scored one, while Vinícius scored all three. Jude Bellingham also scored with one attempt, while Rodrygo Goes and Luka Modric both missed one of their attempts.
Ancelotti's decision to bench one of Real Madrid's star strikers On Thursday, Brahim Díaz came on for Rodrygo Goes, but the experiment was short-lived as the Morocco international was withdrawn at half-time after receiving heavy criticism for his performance. Ancelotti therefore looks set to revert to the front three he used earlier in the season against Real Betis.
Brahim struggled, while Luka Modric in midfield failed to add the balance Ancelotti had hoped for. The decision to bring on Rodrygo and then Turkish starlet Arda Güler essentially brought him back into the fold of a team that had struggled to get a win over Valladolid.
Afterwards, he mused that “worrying means we are trying to solve our problems,” when asked how he could address them this weekend against Betis. He then defended his forwards, particularly Kylian Mbappé, saying, “if we think about the defensive work, Kylian is the last one we should think about. He is playing very well even though he has not scored, his influence creates danger. Mbappé’s adaptation is not a problem.”
Who will play on the left, and who will take penalties? One criticism this season has been that the three forwards have tended to prefer playing on the left wing, which is officially occupied by Vinícius Júnior, although Ancelotti insists he gives his players the freedom to choose.
On Saturday, the coach was asked if he would consider changing that, given Mbappé’s preference for cutting in from the left. “They have alternated, but Vinicius plays more on the left and will continue to do so,” Ancelotti replied emphatically.
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