Real Madrid veteran Dani Carvajal is confident that Los Blancos will find the chemistry that has been lacking in their opening four games of the Liga season, although he did admit that the exits and arrivals this summer have made for a big change.
Veterans Nacho Fernandez and Joselu Mato left for Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively, while Toni Kroos retired this summer. Only Kylian Mbappe and Endrick Felipe arrived, but the dynamics of the side have been altered dramatically, with both Kroos and Mbappe heavily influencing the style of play in their own way.
“It’s been an important change after Toni Kroos, Nacho and Joselu left us. With the arrival of Kylian, the coach has to adapt to all the great players we have,” he explained to The Athletic.
“In Mallorca and Las Palmas, we lacked a bit of continuity in our play, but we’re going to get there. The other day against Real Betis, the team showed good signs, we played a pretty complete game and from now, after the international break, we will put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Real Madrid now lie four points behind Barcelona already, despite the primacy of the season. One of the key questions that many are asking is if Carlo Ancelotti can really work out a system that involves all of Jude Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo Goes.
“It’s clear that the three feel comfortable playing on the left — but last year I had a lot of space on the wing and it boosted my attacking play a lot. This year, I don’t think there will be any problems. When you don’t have the ball, you have to be structured but when you have the ball, the coach gives us more freedom. The system is up to the coach, he’s the one who decides.”
That freedom is something that has been commented on by Jude Bellingham in the past, saying that he allows him to interpret the game with the ball. It’s a strategy that has worked for Ancelotti and Real Madrid over the past three years. At the same time, Ancelotti has been desperate to emphasize the need for balance in the opening stages of the season.
