Kylian Mbappe trained with the Real Madrid squad for the first time this past Wednesday, having returned to the Spanish capital after finishing his vacation.
In under a week, the French superstar is set to make his debut for Los Blancos, when they take on Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup clash.
All eyes will be on Mbappe as he will be aiming to start life as a Real Madrid player with a trophy.
At the same time, manager Carlo Ancelotti will also be under some scrutiny as there are question marks about how he plans to fit Mbappe into this Real Madrid side, which also boasts top players like Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo Goes, and Jude Bellingham in attack.
Ancelotti’s two formulas to fit Mbappe
French publication L’Equipe has now come out with a report that outlines Ancelotti’s plans to integrate Mbappe into the Real Madrid lineup.
According to the update, the Italian tactician has two strategies in place as far as fitting Mbappe into the starting XI is concerned.
First, Ancelotti plans on fielding the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner as a centre-forward in a traditional 4-3-3, flanked by two wingers, who will most likely be Vinicius and Rodrygo.
In such a setup, Bellingham would have to operate in a deeper role in midfield than he did last season.
The second setup that Ancelotti has in mind is the 4-4-2 diamond formation he used last season where he plans to field Mbappe with another forward up top while Bellingham operates in the attacking midfield role like his debut campaign.
Either way, the idea is to give Mbappe plenty of freedom in the final third for him to be able to move around and cause problems for the opposition defence.