A student at Coverciano, Carlo Ancelotti, penned a research paper titled “Il Futuro del Calcio: Più Dinamicità” (The Future of Football: More Dynamism). Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG and now Real Madrid have always been true to his footballing philosophy.

Ancelotti started the 2013/14 season off by playing Isco in the No 10 role and Angel di Maria on the right wing (remember Bale was injured during this period) in a 4-2-3-1 system. Isco, however, would prove ineffective and inconsistent during the big matches and hence a change would be needed. Without Ozil at his disposal, who had to be sold to make way for Bale, Ancelloti changed the formation and system of the team. Madrid went from a counter attacking 4-2-3-1 to a possession based 4-3-3. Angel di Maria was shifted from his right wing position to the role of a central winger/creator (a position he plays for Argentina and is comfortable in) pairing him with Alonso and Modric. Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale would form the front 3 of the attack.

As a result of this change we saw Real Madrid dominating matches, midfield and possession with the 4-3-3 formation (Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid is a prime example). Simultaneously, Ancelotti also displayed his tactical depth and nuance by playing a 4-4-2 in big matches. This allowed them to absorb pressure for long intervals and play fast paced counter attacking football (The famous Champions League tie against Bayern Munich is a good example). The 4-4-2 had Angel di Maria and Bale playing on the wings coupled with Benzema leading the line and Ronaldo just playing off him. Alonso and Modric played as enforcers in the middle of the park.

Signing of James Rodriguez puts Ancelotti in another spot. There are different positions that James can fit in, according to the different systems Ancelotti employs. But in order to live up to the ‘star’ that Rodriguez is being billed as, he will have to shine during the big matches like Bale did during his first season. We have not seen Madrid dominate possession and midfield in big matches. If James is fielded in a False No 9 position (with Benzema obviously sitting out), Madrid can crowd the midfield and by extension dominate it with passers like Kroos, Modric , Alonso and Rodriguez in a 4-3-3 formation . But can James pass the ball around as has it been expected of a False No 9? Can he drop deep as Messi does? Can he link up play with the wings and the midfield? Surely these are the questions that need answering to before James can be given that all important role. Lets have a statistical look.

James made an average of 47.03 passes per game last season out of which 26.56 were made in the forward direction and 20.56 were made in the backward direction. It should be noted that James played most of last season in a No 10 role behind Berbatov and the Newcastle new boy Riviere. To put into perspective Messi made an average of 44.55 passes per game last year (24.45 forward, 19.68 backward), Iniesta made an average of 62.60 passes per game last year (38.51 forward, 23.74 backward) and Modric made an average of 40.65 passes per game last year with 23.50 passes forward per game and 17 backward per game. It surely proves that James can pass the ball around and help the Madrid midfield tick by dropping deep. More importantly what matters is what you do with passing the ball around. James has been impressive with the ball at his feet as he has created 2.5 chances for his team mates per game which is comparable to that of Messi’s (2.42). There seems to be no dearth of creativity as 12 assists in itself speaks loud in itself.

9 goals on the contrary keeps one wanting, just like another spoon full of nutella, for more. One expects more goals out of James in the coming season especially if he is positioned in the False No 9 role. One reason for fewer goals can be his tendency to shoot from long ranges (1.85 shots per game) but so has been Messi’s (more than James, at 1.97 shots per game) and at top levels one has to answer better for his shot accuracy (James – 41%). However James had two centre forwards to share the burden who played ahead of him at Monaco while Barcelona where sometimes ridiculously over dependent on Messi for goals. There are areas for improvement and Ancelottis is one of the best managers around for the same.

James strikes out as a passer who definitely can drop deep and link up play with both the midfield and the wings, having himself played on the wings in the past. His performances at the World Cup got him to Madrid and Madristas would be hoping he continues singing the same tune.

Ancelotti is a wily old fox and has bag full of tricks. Although James dons the famous No 10 jersey it remains to be seen what hat he wears.