It would not be the first time that Ancelotti turns a crisis into an opportunity. There are plenty of examples of the Italian responding to an injury to a key player by tweaking his team with excellent results. He now faces an even tougher challenge. He has lost his first-choice midfielder.
Nobody at Real Madrid has played more minutes than Modric: 1,454.
The Croat's injury will force Ancelotti to shake-up his midfield. There are several options, although Khedira is carrying a knock and Illarra has not yet returned to first-team training. The first option would be to keep Kroos in a deep midfield position and allow Khedira or Illarra to play in Modric's role, with more freedom. The second would be to give Kroos more of a roaming role in midfield and play Khedira or Illarra behind him.
Another option would be a return to a three-man midfield, in which case Kroos could play as either playmaker or central midfielder. In an attacking system, his midfield partners would be Isco and James, with the BBC up front. In a more defensive set-up, it would be Khedira or Illarra, which would see the team gain in balance but lose something going forward.
Nobody at Real Madrid has played more minutes than Modric: 1,454.
The Croat's injury will force Ancelotti to shake-up his midfield. There are several options, although Khedira is carrying a knock and Illarra has not yet returned to first-team training. The first option would be to keep Kroos in a deep midfield position and allow Khedira or Illarra to play in Modric's role, with more freedom. The second would be to give Kroos more of a roaming role in midfield and play Khedira or Illarra behind him.
Another option would be a return to a three-man midfield, in which case Kroos could play as either playmaker or central midfielder. In an attacking system, his midfield partners would be Isco and James, with the BBC up front. In a more defensive set-up, it would be Khedira or Illarra, which would see the team gain in balance but lose something going forward.
