Matchday 20: January 19, 2025

Hot potato edition of the daily Merengue

The Daily Merengue It is a place where you can feel free to practice everything related to football. Don’t be alarmed by the RMCF’s overt bias. It’s in the name! Shout out to the mods who do a fantastic job. Valyrian Steel, felipejack, juninho, Not RObutWhite and sincerely, Kung_Fu_Zizou

Back to the top vs Las Palmas

First place in La Liga is still a hot potato. Barcelona went on a winning streak and suddenly ceded first place to Real Madrid, who then passed it on to Atlético, who are willing to give it back to Real Madrid.

Ancelotti is likely to form the XI around Bellingham, as has been the theme. The base of the midfield, which is crucial to protecting the defense off the ball and progressing the game in possession, will be another key area.

Rodrygo’s turn

Real Madrid has such a wealth of wealth that you wouldn’t know it from the constant complaints about resources indistinguishable from the cries of the Premier League’s eternal bridesmaids.

Vinicius is sanctioned and there are 3 different solutions prepared, among which his compatriot Rodrygo stands out. Rodrygo’s production is always fragmented. The opportunity to start on the left for consecutive games should give us some advantage.

Asencio’s Continuity

Raúl Asencio is sent from heaven. Alaba and Militao suffer injuries and Tchouaméni suffers an injury to his confidence, Asencio offers a most convenient solution. Asencio’s continuity means continuity in defense and also more continuity in the center of the field. We can have a consistent backline of 4 and relative consistency in midfield with a 2 or a 3 depending on the coach’s mood.

While Asencio is not the perfect centre-back, he is the perfect solution at the moment.

Ceballos: Progression without training

Ceballos plays forward. His choice of pass and his ability to pause and not rush his passes are the main reasons why Carlo has to play him. Carlo doesn’t have to train you on this, it’s plug and play.

When Carlo really wants to play as a forward, he starts both Modric and Ceballos. It’s difficult to understand why Ceballos comes in and out of the team given how he fits into Carlo’s approach.

Burn on a front 3

There seems to be a trend in the way Carlo uses Arda Guler. The shape usually changes to a 4 – 4 – 2 with Arda on the right or if it is a 4 – 3 – 3 Arda is an advanced 8. Similar to what Carlo would try with James in 2014/15.

It could be useful to have Arda as RW in a 4 – 3 – 3, which would make it more effective for him to move into that right half space where he feels very comfortable.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The general consensus remains that training is of no use if the tactical complexities are missing. However, I wonder if, while that seems to be the case so far this season, the cause could be the coach choosing the players before training. That is, Carlo writes the XI and then it is transformed into the most convenient formation. Whenever we consider a formation, the first issue is always who cannot play and the last consideration is always the tactical issues that might arise from the formation itself. The 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 formation could be useful, but who is left out and why? The formation occupies the middle third of the field, facilitating a lazy tactical approach.