How Carlo Ancelotti Engineered Real Madrid’s Triumphant 2021-22 Season
Carlo Ancelotti’s legendary managerial career reached new heights during the 2021-22 campaign, guiding Real Madrid to a historic double: clinching both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Despite managing top clubs for over two decades, Ancelotti’s ability to adapt his tactical approach has ensured continued domestic and European success—even with an aging core. This in-depth tactical analysis explores how Ancelotti’s strategies, player management, and game model drove Real Madrid to glory.
Classic Foundations: Real Madrid’s 4-3-3 Structure
Under Ancelotti’s guidance, Real Madrid stayed faithful to their hallmark 4-3-3 formation, blending established veterans with emerging young stars. The backbone of the team featured goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, whose superb form contributed to 16 clean sheets in 36 league games and a 76.7% save rate. Up front, Karim Benzema delivered a remarkable season, scoring 42 goals in 44 combined Champions League and La Liga appearances—firmly establishing his place among Europe’s elite forwards.
At midfield, the experienced trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro continued to dominate. While Modric and Kroos dictated play, Casemiro anchored defensive transitions, maintaining balance. Young Federico Valverde provided dynamism off the bench or as a right winger. The wings showcased rising stars like Vinicius Junior, who registered 17 goals and 10 assists in the league, and Rodrygo, who seized decisive moments in big matches.
Defensively, the club managed a successful transition despite the exits of stalwarts Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos. Eder Militao’s maturation and the arrival of David Alaba solidified the backline, while Ferland Mendy nailed down the left-back slot. Versatile players like Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez provided attacking thrusts from right-back.
Real Madrid’s persistence with experienced players, combined with the emergence of new leaders, created a blend of stability and innovation. This provided a platform for Ancelotti to extract the best from both his seasoned stars and young talents—ensuring sustained success despite pre-season doubts.
Controlled Build-Up: Patterns in Possession and Progression
Ancelotti’s Real Madrid excelled at building from the back, utilizing their midfielders’ technical excellence and vision. Typically, two of the three central midfielders would drop deep, usually Kroos and Casemiro, while Modric sought spaces between opposition lines.
Kroos emerged as a passing fulcrum, attempting a league-high 23.4 long passes per 90 minutes and completing an outstanding 79.4%. His expansive range enabled rapid switches of play, progression into the final third (11.5 passes per 90), and frequent successful diagonal balls. This constant movement created disorganization among opponents but maintained Madrid’s comfortable tempo on the ball.
The full-backs played a vital role in the build-up, beginning in deeper positions and moving forward as play advanced. Mendy usually stayed balanced while the right-back—whether Carvajal or Vazquez—pushed higher, exploiting width and supporting wide overloads.
Real’s passing scheme would adjust dynamically:
– Vinicius Junior held width on the left, engaging defenders and receiving cross-field passes.
– Benzema often drifted leftward to combine with Vinicius, aided by Kroos and Alaba’s distribution.
– The right flank sometimes featured a traditional winger (Asensio or Rodrygo) for additional width, or Valverde, who tucked inside to create a box-shaped midfield, freeing Carvajal or Vazquez to overlap.
This flexible, multi-channel build-up meant Real Madrid could bypass presses with short combinations or stretch defenses with pinpoint long balls.
Sophisticated Attacking Approach: Breaking Lines and Overloading Flanks
In the attacking phase, Real Madrid built upon their organized possession principles to become a fluid and threat-laden side. Toni Kroos continued to orchestrate attacks from deep, repeatedly changing the point of attack with expertly placed switches. Overlapping full-backs, especially on the right, allowed Real to stretch the pitch and open pockets for their forwards.
A few key attacking patterns defined Madrid’s approach:
– The right-sided “inverted winger” (often Valverde) cut inside, acting as a makeshift midfielder and overwhelming central areas.
– Meanwhile, wide overloads on the left were created through Vinicius’s dribbling and acceleration, frequently isolating him 1v1, where he used skillful cuts and feints to create chances or deliver accurate crosses.
– Benzema and Vinicius formed a potent partnership, combining for a staggering 66 La Liga goal contributions. Benzema operated as both scorer and creator, excelling with his movement, back-to-goal play, and deadly finishing—aided by an impressive conversion rate of 0.43 goals per shot on target.
Madrid’s attacking transitions were swift and lethal, leveraging the pace of their wide men and the positional intelligence of Benzema, consistently outperforming expected goals (xG) metrics and outpacing rivals in big-game moments.
Defensive Organization: Adaptability and Resilience Off the Ball
Defensively, Ancelotti emphasized structure and flexibility based on the opposition and game state. Real Madrid often began with a hybrid 4-2-2-2 or 4-4-2 shape when defending high up—wingers dropped just behind the front line, while Modric joined Benzema in initiating the press. This intelligent positioning enabled the team to contain central progression and funnel teams wide.
Rather than pressing relentlessly, Madrid prioritized intelligent shuffling and compactness, conceding very few long passes (53 per game, the lowest in La Liga), which helped control the opposition’s attacking flow.
As play developed into midfield, the shape shifted into a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 mid-block, with Modric sliding deeper and Vinicius often conserving energy for transitions. In the defensive third, the team condensed further to a 4-5-1, with Casemiro protecting the backline—averaging 2.5 tackles per game and intercepting attacks before they became dangerous.
The rest-defense, typically held in a 2+2 arrangement with full-backs and holding midfielders, provided insurance against counterattacks. Against elite teams, Real often sat deeper, relying on organized blocks, quick transitions, and exceptional goalkeeping to frustrate opponents and spring attacks—particularly maximizing the strengths of Vinicius and Benzema on the break.
Conclusion: Ancelotti’s Tactical Evolution Delivers Silverware
What many anticipated to be a transitional year for Real Madrid became a remarkable story of triumph and tactical innovation. Ancelotti’s return brought together a well-balanced squad, integrating youth with experience and revitalizing established stars. His tactical tweaks—ranging from possession management to disciplined defending—allowed Real Madrid to exceed expectations and conquer Europe and Spain once again.
Key to this success was the efficient use of established leaders like Kroos, Modric, and Benzema, alongside breakout talents such as Vinicius Junior. Ancelotti’s strategies reinforced Real Madrid’s status as Europe’s elite—not only by securing results but by demonstrating a blueprint for successful squad evolution and tactical adaptability in modern football.
