Atletico Madrid’s manager, Diego Simeone, highlighted that one of Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical adjustments played a role in neutralizing the impact of Jude Bellingham, who had been instrumental for Real Madrid this season.
Real Madrid had heavily relied on Bellingham to score in most of their recent games, except for the previous La Liga match against Real Sociedad, which they won 2-1 with goals from Joselu Mato and Fede Valverde.
Following an injury to Vinicius Junior, who usually started, Ancelotti decided to make changes by introducing Luka Modric in the lineup, positioning Bellingham higher up the field alongside Rodrygo Goes.
Simeone explained to Diario AS that this tactical shift helped Atletico Madrid to contain Bellingham’s influence: “No, the spaces were reduced, and I believe the absence of Joselu limited his opportunities, especially when he took advantage of Joselu’s aerial ability. We managed to control him better, which was extraordinary. Real Madrid demonstrated on the field that anything can happen. Fortunately, the 3-1 scoreline eliminated the space where they are most dangerous. If it had remained 2-1, there might have been some stage fright. This victory is very important for us.”
Joselu did come on as a substitute for Modric at halftime as Ancelotti attempted to address the situation. However, Real Madrid’s attacking performance did not significantly improve. While Real Madrid struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities, Bellingham had been operating in a role behind two forwards. Ancelotti seems unlikely to make further adjustments to his tactics in the near future.