How Do You Replace a Legend? - The Transfers, Rumors & Lies Thread

We're good bud.

Leny Yoro is a solid long term project. Perez is giving me the impression that he has to sign a CB urgently. The message is clear. If he wants to join, he has to force his way in. Right now, Carlo can manage that position with the players at his disposal. Real won't bend over to any extortion.

 

I can't see them moving Arda back into the midfield.
At least not at this point in his career.

I suspect Ceballos may stay a year, and they could promote Nico.
This club is not in the habit of making panic purchases.
Most likely make moves in 2025 summer.

Because of the quantity of games next year, they probably need a bit more depth than usual.
In a 4-3-3, it could be something along these lines...

Attackers
Mbappe
Vini
Rodrygo
Brahim
Arda
Endrick
Joselu

Midfielders
Bellingham
Valverde
Tchouameni
Camavinga
Modric
Ceballos
Nico Paz

 

It's clear that we will never go for 100 ME CBs like Gvardiol last summer. Yoro fits the mould as young talented defender and his contract situation is usually a market opportunity that we utilized with Courtois (40 ME) and Camavinga (30 ME).

We won't overpay 50-60 ME in this situation just because PSG want to have an auction. So it comes down to whether player is really keen on RM move like Camavinga or just a big money move no matter where.

 

IF Yoro signs for PSG, he knows what he is getting himself into, and he can pretty much say goodbye to joining us in the foreseeable future. We are not likely to chase him for several years, unlike what we have done with Mbappe (the exception, not the norm).

 

This becomes the obvious choice now. I don’t know how Carlo will convince him, but we just have to push Bellingham back into a more traditional CM role.

Situationally, we can go with the 4 man midfield, but we just lost the depth to sustain that as the go-to formation week in, week out.

It was always going to be difficult to stick to that structure anyway with Rodrygo, Brahim, and Arda.

 

We could end up playing more of a 4-2-3-1, with Bellingham still in an advanced central midfield role, and Tchouameni and Fede behind him, in the two other CM roles (with Cama and Modric likely to come off the bench).

 

With Kroos not here next season, and Mbappe arrival, I think the team will change her face and way of playing.

 

Carlo has shown this formation on more than a few occasions this year.
Fede/Camavinga/Tchouameni can all function in a double pivot.

 

Sure, flexibly in game. But I don't think we play all 4 together as the go-to formation. A double pivot and Bellingham free sure, but he won't have 3 midfielders behind him anymore and he will need to take on more defensive responsibility.

 

I agree, all four will not play. It will be a 3 man midfield with an AM rather than the old CM-DM-CM midfield from the KCM era.

 

Carlo loves the 4-4-2 diamond. I think that’s where we land, it gives us lots of tactical flexibility within the match and we’ve got the players well suited for it.

 

Mbappe or Vini can't track back like Bale did in big games from 2013-16. 4-3-3 doesn't make sense unless we want to be more vulnerable defensively. 6 midfielders is enough depth.

What was the depth like when we played KCM and Isco regularly as starters? Only Kovacic on the bench. Fede, Camavinga, Tchouameni and Bellingham midfield with Vini and Mbappe makes sense. That's the midfield we started the season with.

Ask Bellingham to do the kind of defensive work he did vs City more often to start Rodrygo or Arda? Not sure that's sustainable.

 

So in the event of an injury to one of the 4 midfielders, you're saying to play Ceballos over Rodrygo or Brahim or Arda? No way

 

We can rotate against smaller teams but we need defensive stability in big games. Mbappe and Vini won't suddenly track back after having free roles for years. If there's injury or rotation, Modric was the one who started this season.

What if Casemiro got injured from 2015-18? We didn't even have a back up DM. Now we have Camavinga if Tcho is out and vice versa.

 

It will be a warped formation with the right winger defending more. Brahim/Guler all track back more.
To some people it will look like 4 midfielders.

 

Do you guys entertain the possibility that if Modric stays he takes Kroos' place in the starting lineup at least initially if we continue playing with a 4 man set up?

Jude
Modric Fede

Tchou/Cama

 

Next season will be Camavinga's 4th at RM. He's set to start in CL final. I don't see a squad player like Brahim benching him. Guler probably will have an important rotation role next season, but not as a starter.

I think our best chance against the likes of City is playing with 4 midfielders and let Mbappe, Vini have more offensive freedom with Jude supporting. Even our CL turnaround in 2021-22 was after Fede replaced Asensio in starting line up to play alongside KCM. Vini and Benz had all the freedom.

 

City is a special case. To play 4 midfielders throughout the season, Real Madrid currently do not have enough midfielders and too many attackers.

Attackers
Mbappe
Vini
Rodrygo
Brahim
Arda
Endrick
Joselu

Midfielders
Bellingham
Valverde
Tchouameni
Camavinga
Modric
Ceballos
Nico Paz

 

City, Bayern, Clasico etc we should have 4-4-2. Squad is stacked so there will be a lot of rotation like first ZZ era. He even switched to 4-4-2 in big games though might rotate in league to play 4-3-3 with Bale.

 

We have enough midfielders. Arda and to a lesser extent Brahim are not pure attackers/wingers. Both could/can play as a 10 in the diamond, moving Belli to cm.

Starters: Cama, tchou, fede, belli. If one of the first 3 is injured, belli moves back and play Arda or Brahim as CAM. And we still have Lukita and Ceballos.

Tchou, Cama, Belli, Fede, Lukita, Ceballos, Arda, Brahim for 4 positions.

 

Huge loss that will transform the team .4-3-3 looks more likely to be the dominant formation next season as we will have too many attackers for them to be on the bench.

Brahim and Arda are crying for more minutes as they impress most of the times they play,Endrick is a star even at 18,Rodrygo is an established player so all of them staying on the bench is not going to happen,they will rotate alongside Vini and Mbappe as the 3rd attacker and the 2 big stars will get rotated a lot i think as there are too many games .

Jude is moving to midfield even if he doesnt like it ,the truth is we dont need his goals with all tthat attacking talent,relying on a midfielder to score when the team has Mbappe,Vinicius,Endrick,Rodrygo,Arda and Brahim is ridicilous.

Ceballos has to leave,the guy is Mallorca level,no way he has a place in the midfield rotation next season.

 

Jude can't do the defensive work of 2 midfielders as he himself worked so hard defensively this season and we had Kroos as regular starter cutting off Kane's long balls to Sane for example vs Bayern.

It's not about us not needing Jude's goals (that has slowed down since Jan anyways), but we need Camavinga's defense to compensate for Mbappe and Vini not tracking back. Again, we can play 4-3-3 and get away with it in La Liga especially at home, but will need a better defensive structure in big games.

 

DM: Tchouameni
LCM: Camavinga
RCM: Fede
CAM: Jude

This is how we started the season at San Mames. Go back to that. Mbappe won't cover Mendy like Rodrygo was asked to in big games. We will need Camavinga tracking left side like how Fede covers for RB.