MADRID, 24 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, praised the Englishman Jude Bellingham, a great signing so far for this coming season and whom he sees as “a complete midfielder and different from the others” and to whom the team must adapt “to his quality”, while this Sunday’s victory in the friendly in Los Angeles (United States) against AC Milan saw “some flaws” in the new 4-4-2 system he tested.
“I really liked Bellingham, he played a good game and the team has to get used to his quality, which is extraordinary. His arrival in the area is very important for the team,” Ancelotti said after the game in statements collected by the club’s website.
The Italian coach described the young international as “a fantastic player”. “He is very important for us because he is a complete midfielder and has a lot of pace and intensity in games. He moves very well without the ball and is different from the other midfielders we have, he goes into free space and adds another quality to this fantastic squad”, he stressed.
About the first game of the preseason, where he opted for a rhombus in the middle, he acknowledged that they must “modify things like starting from behind” and that they have to “try to press higher up.” “With the diamond in midfield we put more pressure in the center and although defensively it’s not the best system, I have to adapt to the players and find a good balance between defense and attack,” he said.
“I like the system, but we have seen some failures. The ball was not released correctly, but my feeling is good, we have also tried to play more on the inside than on the outside to enjoy the spaces between the lines,” added Ancelotti.
In any case, the Real Madrid coach does not rule out his traditional 4-3-3 in which his “reference striker” is the Brazilian Rodrygo Goes. “Arda Güler and Valverde can play on the left. We can also play with a midfielder like Bellingham and a center forward like Rodrygo,” he pointed out.
Finally, he spoke about Brahim Díaz, who is back after two seasons on loan at Milan. “He has come back well. He has the quality to play for Real Madrid and he has quality in that position because he plays very well between the lines and it’s an option we have. Hopefully we can enjoy him during the season,” I think.