Getting rid of Belling's dependence? Real Madrid's "three small" striker experiment was successful

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In La Liga's Rayo Vallecano last weekend, Real Madrid had as many as 22 shots on goal but only managed to win 0-0, and so far this season have lacked a weak forward line, and most of the time they have to rely on Bellingham's shining problems to fully expose. Vinicius has more shots of fighting with opponents on the field than the number of goals, Rodrygo has been lost repeatedly, without Benzema as a bridgehead, the Brazilian twin stars seem to have fallen into a bottleneck, Joselu, who has squandered many opportunities, has also proved difficult to "replace" Benzema, once Bellingham is no longer magical, it is difficult for the whole team to score. After the draw with Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid could only watch Girona, who have risen to prominence this season, temporarily top the table.

Bellingham also suffered a shoulder injury against Rayo Vallecano, and the post-match report showed that the Englishman's injury was not serious, but with the Champions League qualification almost assured, Carlo Ancelotti chose to put Bellingham on the bench at home to Braga in the fourth round of the group stage. The Englishman was replaced by Brahim Dias, who had not played for a long time. In recent games, Dias has not been given the opportunity to play, in the case of Real Madrid's obvious lack of change of tactics, the outside world will naturally question the Shuai to put Dias on the shelf, and there has been news that Dias may return to AC Milan in the winter window due to a lack of opportunities. When asked about the topic in his pre-match press conference, Carlo Ancelotti said that he often communicates with Dias, and that Real Madrid's forward line is very competitive, but he will always get his own chance.

The previous three consecutive wins in the Champions League group stage made Real Madrid have a good situation to qualify, and in this game with a high margin for error, Dias finally got the opportunity, starting in place of Bellingham, he formed a "small three" with Vinicius and Rodrygo, and he also seized the hard-won starting opportunity. Judging from the position of Real Madrid on the spot, although nominally a striker, Dias retreats very deeply and often recycles to the midfield, the offensive end is an important connection point in the midfield, and the defensive end can also help the midfield.

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The hard-working Dias also reaped the rewards, as one of his goals was disallowed for a foul by Vinicius, but it was not long after the clever counter-entry into the box that Dias actually reaped the goal. The Real Madrid no.21 has started just two games so far this season, and he has scored in both starts, making him more than worthy of being a qualified substitute in Real Madrid's attack. Dias was still diligent in the second half, with a shot saved and a defence at the back to help defend and take the ball out of the danger zone both sparked cheers from the crowd, and the Bernabeu fans gave him a round of applause when Real Madrid's no.21 was substituted.

In addition to Dias, the Brazilian twin stars in this game have finally gotten rid of the bottleneck they encountered before. In many La Liga games before this season, including the recent national derby, Real Madrid's new No. 7 often fell into entanglements with opponents, resulting in poor mood and seriously affecting performance. In this game, Real Madrid's die-hard stands played a slogan "Resolutely oppose racial violence on the pitch" in solidarity with Vinicius. In the Champions League, where there was not much off-field turmoil, Vinicius finally played at the level that he should have as Real Madrid's No. 7, helping Real Madrid lock up 3 points with one pass and one shot, and also completed the long-lost "Brazilian connection" with Rodrygo. The position of the Brazilian duo in this game is not fixed, often swapped positions, Dias's first goal came from Rodrygo's inverted triangle cross on the left side, and the goal scored by the two was Vinicius on the left side to send a diagonal stopper, Rodrygo easily scored on the right side, when the two are no longer stuck to a single offensive line, Real Madrid's big win is also logical.

Real Madrid's last home Champions League game against Union Berlin saw Jude Bellingham strike in stoppage time, the most common scenario for Real Madrid this season. In this game, the Brazilian twin stars and Dias played a perfect battle in the front court, Real Madrid won an easy victory for a long time, and Bellingham, who was injured, was able to rest the whole game. The fans of Braga were full of momentum, but the Portuguese Super League team was difficult to pose a substantial threat to Real Madrid the rest of the time, except for a penalty kick that made the hearts of Real Madrid's home fans nervous soon after. Even if a penalty was awarded at the beginning due to the unstable foothold of the defensive line, after Lunin saved the penalty and made up for the mistake of the defensive line, Real Madrid gradually took over the game and secured the right to qualify with four consecutive wins in the group. In the next round at home to Napoli, Real Madrid only need one point to secure top spot in the group.

Marca commented after the game: "Although we didn't see Güller make his debut in the end, we did see a brilliant Brahim Dias, who was incomprehensibly so few appearances before, and who was a match made in heaven with Vinicius and Rodrygo, and after this game, Dias may not wait until two months to be in the starting line-up, as he has done before." ”

Commenting on Dias' performance after the game, Carlo Ancelotti said: "What else can I say? Dias, who appeared in the mixed area after the game, also said that he was very happy to start again and score again, "Carlo Ancelotti hugged me in Italian and he said to me 'great'. Dias smiled and recalled the hug he had with An Shuai when he was substituted, and the return to the starting line undoubtedly put him in a good mood.

Author: Wu Haoyu (from the Bernabeu)

This article was originally published in Sports Plus APP

The picture comes from the Internet

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