Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly considering making a significant change to Real Madrid's formation in an attempt to tighten up his defence and give Kylian Mbappe more freedom in attack.
Los Blancos secured their 36th La Liga title last season and also lifted their 15th Champions League trophy with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
While Ancelotti's side is still unbeaten after the first five games of the league season, they have not been at their very best, dropping points against Las Palmas and Mallorca.
As a result, Los Merengues are already trailing arch rivals Barcelona by four points in the league standings, and it seems that the Italian manager has identified a possible solution to improve the side's early-season performances.
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Ancelotti plotting formation change to address defensive struggles
According to L'Equipe, Real Madrid's recent defensive struggles have prompted Ancelotti to contemplate adding an extra midfielder, which would ease Mbappe's defensive responsibilities and allow the French forward to concentrate more on his attacking play.
The report adds that the adjustment would likely result in Rodrygo being moved to the bench, with Mbappe joining Vinicius Junior in attack, making room for an additional midfielder.
It is understood that despite conceding just two goals, the joint-fewest in La Liga, Ancelotti is concerned about the high number of shots his team is allowing.
Los Blancos conceded 11 shots in their last league game against Real Sociedad, and Thibaut Courtois was called into action multiple times during their 3-1 Champions League win over Stuttgart earlier in the week.
The potential change of system is not expected to be used in every game, but will be an option for their most difficult fixtures, such as their upcoming trip to the Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid.
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Will Ancelotti's formation change bring the best out Mbappe?
Real Madrid bolstered their squad over the summer with the highly anticipated signing of Mbappe, who joined the Spanish club on a free transfer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.
The Frenchman penned a five-year deal with Los Blancos and opened his account for his new employers on debut in the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Atalanta.
Since then, Mbappe has netted three goals in his first five league matches in Spain, though that tally marks his slowest start to a domestic season since the 2019-20 campaign.
At this same point last season, the 25-year-old striker had already bagged seven goals for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
Devesh Jaganath
