Plan B without Casemiro

Practically without warning he appeared Manchester United loaded with millions to strip Ancelotti of Casemiroits extension on the field of play. Some final figures of 72 million euros (plus 13 in variables), in addition to a juicy contract that will make the Brazilian double his annual salary, have left Madrid without much of its foundations. The brand new MVP of the European Super Cup, at 30 years old, will officially play at home at Old Trafford. So that Carletto you will have to improvise alternatives, look for a plan B. Or several. From youth to veteran, going through the potential change of scheme and some more peripheral option.

In Balaídos he will have his first exam without the one from São José dos Campos and the horizon is drawn with the second consecutive start of the former Monaco. Tchouameni made his league debut at the Power Horse Stadium to rest Case. In Vigo, you will have to start your accelerated growth. It did not have a friendly premiere. In the first part he was overtaken by the Almeria engine room and Ancelotti slipped after the crash that had “weighed down his shirt”. Of course, this does not change one iota the confidence he professes. “He has to improve, but he is ready to play for Madrid”, he reassured him before the media. The one from Reggiolo is aware of the potential of the French international (he is already a starter with Les Bleus at 22 years old) and wants him not to lose his head. He did therapy with the Rouenwhose importance grows exponentially with the ‘casemiro case’.

Between youth, veteran and the new drawing

The ’18′ is the main and natural alternative, as he is the only pure defensive pivot that the white squad presents. However, the season is long, the calendar comes with curves, many competitions (Madrid opts for the Sextete) and the World Cup increases the potential mileage of the white stars. Hence, Tchouameni, in his first year at Chamartín, may not be enough and that is where the other name that appeared in the press conference prior to Saturday’s game comes to the surface: Toni Kroos. Up to 73 times he has acted as ‘five’ and, curiously, 68 have been in the white team. Of course, only 12 have arrived in the last three seasons. It is a demarcation where Greifswald suffers the most wear and tear and this files its organizational skills. Be that as it may, Ancelotti is clear that the option is there. “Kroos does not like that position”, they slipped him at a press conference. “He hasn’t told me. And if he tells me, he will play there the same ”Ancelotti joked when considering the possibility.

He is also used to appearing as an anchor Camavinga. His irruption in Rennes came in that demarcation, although not in a 4-3-3 like the one Madrid usually uses. In the Rhenish team he used to have company, since Julien Stéphan drew his elevens with a double pivot. in his year rookie In the white team he played 17 games playing ‘Casemiro’, but his cheerful, carefree, vertical football, and still messy and excessively impetuous, indicate that he still has edges to polish to sustain a machine room like the Madridista. And this outlines another possibility that Ancelotti is presented with given the excessive youth of some of his pieces: changing the scheme. The 4-4-2 that at times, especially since Valverde has converted to the extreme, the Italian has used gains weight. Casemiro was all packaging and the automatisms with Kroos and Modric and his experience are assets that Tchouameni or Camavinga, with their ceiling and floor still at a considerable distance, do not yet have.

While there are two other more peripheral options at the moment: Valverde and Alaba. Especially chimerical is that of the Hawk, who played seven games as a ‘stopper’ in the last three seasons, but whose spirited and versatile football has made him drift into a ‘false winger’ with every day more fondness for the rival goal. While another king of versatility could gain weight if the previous alternatives do not mesh. Alaba is now non-negotiable as Militao’s partner in the center of the rear, it has already been pointed out by the own Carletto, preventing a whole Rüdiger from opening a gap from minute one when he was expected to be the ‘3’ starter this campaign. Nevertheless, at Bayern he also played relatively regularly in midfield, both as a pivot and further forward, where his good handling of the ball shone. In Madrid, life begins without Casemiro and Ancelotti must study which of the B plans offered by the white squad is the ideal one.