Carlo Ancelotti redeeming himself at Real Madrid with the 4-2-3-1

Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti avenged the three back-to-back losses to Barcelona with a 4-0 win in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg.

Since the turn of the calendar, Carlo Ancelotti saw Real Madrid suffering three back-to-back losses against Barcelona in all competitions. But, they have finally managed to avenge those losses with a cracking 4-0 win in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Los Blancos headed into the tie on the back of a 1-0 loss in the first leg. They were expected to have a tough day at work, given the fact that they had already lost thrice to the Catalan giants in 2023. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s men brought their A-game to the table and got the job done.

They did not just qualify for the Copa del Rey final but also made sure they put in a performance to silence their critics and establish themselves as favourites for the UEFA Champions League title once again.

Barcelona’s three-peat over Real Madrid

January 15, 2023…

Real Madrid squared up against Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de Espana. They headed into the encounter as favourites but ended up getting hammered 3-1 at the hands of their rivals. Despite being one of the best teams in Europe at that time, they were clueless against the Blaugrana, who registered their first title under Xavi’s reign.

The second meeting between the two in 2023 was the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg which resulted in a 1-0 win for Barcelona. Xavi’s men have been amongst the best defensive teams across Europe this season. And, they produced a defensive masterclass to keep the Real Madrid attackers at bay. Eder Militao’s own goal gave them the lead, and they managed to hold onto it for the full 90 minutes.

The third meeting between the two teams was in La Liga. Having already lost two consecutive games against the Catalan giants, this was a very important game for Los Blancos to keep the title race alive. But, they once again failed to get the job done and ended up losing 2-1. An injury-time winner by substitute Franck Kessie resulted in a 12-point lead at the top of the table for Xavi’s men, which in a way ended the title race.

Carlo Ancelotti’s job under scrutiny

Real Madrid are a club where winning trophies every season is a must or else things might not go in your favour. Los Blancos demand consistent success. While Ancelotti had guided them to the UEFA Champions League as well as the league title last season, his job has come under scrutiny after three successive losses against Barcelona.

Their latest league loss against Barcelona meant Real Madrid’s league title aspirations had ended. And, as a result, the pressure was mounting on Ancelotti. Winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League were two ways to survive at the helm. And, he might have just managed to get back on track at the best possible time.

The resurgence of Real Madrid, Ancelotti and his 4-2-3-1 masterstroke

After struggling since the turn of the calendar, Carlo Ancelotti has finally managed to revive his troops. They have scored ten goals in their last two matches and have not conceded even once.

While the 6-0 win over Real Valladolid might not be considered that big an improvement by Ancelotti’s men, their 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona will surely give other clubs a fair idea of the fact that Los Blancos are back at their best.

Real Madrid headed into the fixture trailing 1-0. But they managed to level things just before half-time. And the second half was all about Real Madrid and their ability to hit Barcelona on the counter. A Karim Benzema hat-trick led them to a famous 4-0 which cemented their spot in the Copa del Rey final.

The tactical change by Ancelotti has already done wonders for his team. Real Madrid shifted from a traditional 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the Valladolid game, and they ended up smashing six goals.

Despite winning 6-0 against Valladolid, Los Blancos were expected to shift to a defensive 4-4-2 after being hammered thrice by the Catalan giants. But, the Italian manager played a masterstroke and stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation, a much more attacking formation than Real Madrid’s traditional 4-3-3.

In general, Ancelotti used Federico Valverede on the right wing in the big games to allow them to shift to a 4-4-2 in defence. But, this time around, he decided to go all-out attack with a more fluid formation. It did wonders for him against Barcelona, and they ended up making it to the final of the Copa del Rey.

The 4-2-3-1 unleashes Real Madrid’s full potential

The 4-2-3-1 is a highly-effective formation that has been utilised by many top teams in world football, including Real Madrid. This formation provides a solid defensive structure with two holding midfielders who provide protection to the back four. This allows the attacking players to focus on creating scoring opportunities without worrying too much about the defensive responsibilities.

In addition, the system allows Real Madrid to play with a high level of fluidity and flexibility in their attack. The three attacking midfielders are given the freedom to interchange positions, which makes it difficult for the opposition to track their movements and defend against them effectively.

In the game against Real Valladolid, Rodrygo Goes featured as an attacking midfielder, while Asensio started on the right and Vinicius Jr. on the left flank. The midfielders in the double pivot were Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni. Real Madrid ended up being highly attacking and dominant. They ended up scoring six goals.

In the match against Barcelona, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos started as the central midfielders for Real Madrid. Rodrygo once again started as an attacking midfielder. But, this time around they were much more fluid and we saw quite a few tactical changes in the game because of the versatility of the players.

Valverde who started on the right flank was seen playing as a holding midfielder alongside Kroos at the time. Rodrygo drifted wide and Modric took up the role of an attacking midfielder. At a point in time when Real Madrid had the majority of the ball, Rodrygo joined Benzema as the second striker and it was a literal 4-2-4.

These changes were not planned rather they reflected the amount of the ball Los Blancos had. With Real Madrid having quite a few versatile players in their ranks, it feels the 4-2-3-1 is the formation to go ahead with since multiple players in their team can feature in different roles and these mid-game changes can trouble the best of the oppositions.

Versatile players who could do wonders in a 4-2-3-1

Rodrygo Goes: can feature as a striker, a second striker, an attacking midfielder as well as a winger.

Federico Valverde: can play as a winger as well as a central midfielder.

Luka Modric: can play as an attacking midfielder as well as a central midfielder.

While there are other players as well who can play in different roles, the presence of all three of the above-mentioned players in the same XI in a 4-2-3-1 will allow Real Madrid to shift the positions in-game as well as allow them to shift between a 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and the 4-2-4 fluidly when and if needed. As a result, The Hard Tackle believes this formation could be the game changer for Real Madrid.