Beaten 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, Real Madrid will try this Wednesday evening to turn the tide once morest PSG at the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium.
Remaining on a convincing victory, 4-1, once morest Real Sociedad, a rival for the title in La Liga, optimism is back in the ranks of Madrid.
Not to miss
If Carlo Ancelotti can’t count on Casemiro (suspended following picking up a yellow card on the way) and Toni Kroos is unsure, the Italian coach knows he can rely on Luka Modric.
At 36, the winner of the Ballon d’Or 2018, behaves like a boss even if he does not wear the captain’s armband. His excellent performance once morest Real Sociedad, accompanied by a goal, on a nice long shot, shows that he is still on top despite the passage of time.
It now remains to be seen in what position Modric will be aligned once morest PSG. If Kroos withdraws, Ancelotti should replace Modric in place of Casemiro. With his discipline and his science of placement, the Croatian is perfectly capable of playing in front of his defense.
By doing this, Ancelotti would allow Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde, who are pure midfielders, not to be confined to a purely defensive role.
Since the start of the season, it is in this role of midfielder that Camavinga has been the most successful, as he has once more demonstrated once morest Real Sociedad (and like Modric, he scored a goal on a distant shot).
“Playing sentry in front of the defense is difficult for him because it is a very tactical position”said Ancelotti regarding Camavinga. “As a relay midfielder, we can make more use of his qualities and his physical impact”says the Italian.
However, Ancelotti is aware that by playing Modric in front of the defense, the latter will bring less on the offensive level… unless he discovers himself.
Real might thus be deprived of the millimeter passes that the Croatian is able to distill. Not to mention he has a fearsome shot, as evidenced by his goal once morest Real Sociedad.
David Alaba might have occupied this position of number 6 but with the suspension of Ferland Mendy, he will most certainly be aligned as a left side or even in central defense if it is Nacho who occupies the corridor which traditionally returns to the French.
Ancelotti might also try a bold bet by establishing Isco to accompany Modric and Camavinga (or Valverde).
But can Isco transform into Kroos? A priori not especially since the Spaniard has hardly played during the first part of the season and is only returning to favor with Ancelotti, but above all in a role of substitute, playing a few minutes here and there.
In addition, Isco does not have the physique to allow Real to press high in order to hinder the recovery of the Parisians. This is what Carlo Ancelotti said a few days ago before the return match once morest PSG: “I will not change my system of play but our pressing will be more intense”.
In the end, whatever position Ancelotti gives Modric, the Croatian knows he will be instrumental in trying to qualify his side for the Champions League quarter-finals.
Translation and adaptation by Xavier Béal
