Ancelotti must ‘invent’ a new Real Madrid defence ahead of crucial Atletico and Man City ties | OneFootball

Real Madrid are going through perhaps their toughest phase of the season so far.

If Antonio Rudiger’s recent injury wasn’t enough, the club’s problems were further compounded by David Alaba’s fresh knock.

The Austrian has picked up yet another injury, which could rule him out on the sidelines for a period of up to three weeks.

This leaves coach Carlo Ancelotti devoid of any defensive options heading into the upcoming Madrid derby, which could be an important in the context of the title race.

Ancelotti must invent a new defence

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid have just four natural defensive options heading into key clashes against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

The four players in question are Jesus Vallejo, Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia.

Alaba’s fresh injury has further compounded Real Madrid’s problems at the back (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Among these players, Vallejo is not considered a viable option for Ancelotti, whereas Garcia and Mendy are mere left-backs.

Keeping that in mind, Ancelotti must ‘invent’ a new defensive lineup for Real Madrid heading into the Atletico Madrid game.

Real Madrid’s likely defensive scheme vs Atletico and Man City

The report suggests that Ancelotti is likely to opt for a defensive setup consisting of Asencio and Aurelien Tchouameni starting at the heart of the four-man backline.

Tchouameni is a midfielder by trade, but the Frenchman has been trained at centre-back by coach Ancelotti, though his performances have been far from consistent.

Ancelotti, though, is actively studying other options. One of them could be moving Mendy to a centre-back position, which in turn, could see Eduardo Camavinga return to the left-back slot.

Just like his compatriot Tchouameni, Camavinga, too, has been trained in a defensive position.

That said, Real Madrid may not entirely rule out the possibility of starting a young option such as Jacobo Ramon.