Since, the beginning of the new year, Real Madrid have played 7 games, scored 16 goals, and conceded zero. They've won all those games, and in all but one did the opposition manage to get in more than one shot on target. Does this sudden change contribute to Carlo Ancelotti's tactics, or to Ramos and Pepe's improved form?

For starters, Real Madrid got off to a shaky start. They didn't do badly, but they had drawn against Villareal, and lost to both Barcelona (away) and Atletico (home), which indicated that even if they were winning most of their games, they only barely managed to win, and they didn't show up or perform in the big games (at least, not enough to get a positive result out of it).

This marked a change in style from Jose Mourinho's all-offense tactics and Carlo Ancelotti's defense-first tactics. Which one is better? Maybe we'll be able to see that if Ancelotti stays for 3 years. But first let's compare Real's difference in goals scored and goals conceded.

Since the season begun, up to 2014, Real had only managed to keep 8 clean sheets. But, since 2014, Real Madrid have managed to keep 7 clean sheets in a row (which is a record in Real's 100+ years of history). This sudden change contributes not just to Ramos and Pepe's improved form, but to Real Madrid finally finding their game under Carlo.

Ancelotti's tactics didn't initially work out because the Real side was already in the mindset that Jose Mourinho had left them in = goals win games. That's the way Mourinho won his games, but simply smashing the opposition's defense to pieces with an arsenal including Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil, di Maria, Kaka, and Higuain. By Mourinho's defense was not as good as it was in his first season in charge. During his first season, Real Madrid kept 29 clean sheets in 59 games, but that fell to 22 in the following season, and 16 in his final season. This drastic fall looks worse when compared to Ancelotti's season so far, which has yielded 15 clean sheets already after just half of the season.

Although Ancelotti's defensive tactics may yield less goals scored, a clean sheet in the back almost always guarantees a win with the offensive ability of Real Madrid. You can score 4 goals and lose a match, but you can never lose a match if you keep a clean sheet. The philosophy of Ancelotti is underlined with the following concept.

Normally the Real Madrid lineup looks like this,

However, Ancelotti adapts it to something different when the game is in full flow,

With both Bale and Ronaldo dropping back to be wide midfielders instead of just wingers, this gives the Madrid fullbacks more cover in front of them. Alonso and Modric both drop and create a line of 4 with Ronaldo and Bale to shield both Ramos and Pepe. Isco drops back to mark the defensive midfielder on the opposing team, and Benzema stays ready to start a counter-attack at all times.

The extra cover not only helps force the opposing team to take shots from further out, but also eliminates any possible spaces for the opposition to exploit with clever runs through the defense. This chokes the opposition into conceding the ball, and we all know very well how lethal Real Madrid are on the counter-attack. The work ethic has improved as well, with Ronaldo and Bale both showing great awareness of defensive duty, and Isco, Modric, and Alonso always running that extra few meters just to snuff out a pass.

These new tactics, along with the flowing football that Carlo Ancelotti has managed to establish in Madrid, make Madrid a lot more competent than they were before. The fluidity of the passing has jumped milestones in the past half-year, and Ancelotti keeps the counter-attacking mentality that Jose Mourinho built his foundation upon. Now it's Ancelotti's turn to build a foundation, and he's making his mark on the defense first. With this new look Real Madrid, I'm confident we can have a successful season this year, and hopefully win a trophy as well.

~ Cheers :)

Forgot to mention that all this is without our best defender, Raphael Varane, who is still injured. With him back, Ramos looks so much better. He makes less reckless challenges, and even if he does, Varane is always there to clean up. They both look much more confident playing alongside each other too.

Yes , we are amazing this year. Carlo's tactics are working very well. Oh and btw we are playing atm 4-3-3.

This is the formation Carlo is using all these weeks ago..

@Iraqi

I highly suggest that you watch the matches first. di Maria and Isco are rotating at AM, not CM. Modric and Alonso are the two DM's as usual.

With all your respect @Dyna , i watch all the RM matches since 2000-2001. And im going to the bernabeú next month.

4-3-3 is their formation atm. They also played like this yesterday vs. Granada

http://footyroom.com/real-madrid-2-0-granada-2014-01/

Here look at the match highlights , if you look under the video you will see a 4-3-3 formation exactly as i told you..

@Dyna so i suggest you should watch RM matches very well and remember the details ;)

@Dynastian98
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Iraqi is right about the formation.

"After four straight away games, the home support was anxious to see the
best of a Real side that have hit their stride and, for the first time
since Ancelotti took over, now has a fixed starting 11. Until January,
the Italian had not fielded the same team twice; now he has played the
same initial line-up in the past three matches, shifting to a 4-3-3 with
Angel di Maria crow-barred in behind Ronaldo and Gareth Bale occupying
the Argentinean's usual habitat on the right. Ancelotti noted in
Friday's pre-match press conference that in this system there is little
room for Isco, and the former Malaga man is going to find it
increasingly hard to work his way back into a winning formation"

"Once again they lined up in Ancelotti's now favoured 4-3-3 formation,
with Alonso deep in midfield and Luka Modric and Angel Di Maria on
either side. These two players, who looked destined for peripheral roles
when Madrid signed Isco and Gareth Bale last summer, are now key to the
side's shape and performance."

"Source":
http://espnfc.com/blog/\_/name/realmadrid/id/2641?cc=5901
http://espnfc.com/blog/\_/name/thematch/id/1629?cc=5901

what happened to Isco?? does he still play, i haven't seen him in a long time

@Heavenduel

That's what it looks "on paper". On the pitch is completely different. Angel di Maria takes over the AM role as he strides forward, Modric stays about 5-7 yards behind him, and Alonso about 10-15 yards behind di Maria. That's how they play. It only looks 4-3-3 at first, until you see them at full flow.

@Dynastian98
hmm interesting, thanks for telling me. I admit I haven't been able to watch a lot of football matches recently... I only have time to watch the highlights :(

So that makes me question, how well does Di Maria play as AM?

@heavenduel

Not as well as Isco, that's for sure. He likes to be on the ball, but isn't a static play-maker. His playmaking abilities are on full flow when he's dribbling at pace towards the net. I don't know why Ancelotti plays di Maria over Isco in recent games (maybe because di Maria was unsatisfied with his limited playing time recently), but Isco makes the team look a hell of a lot better.

di Maria, as usual, plays best at RM.

@Dyna , No its not ''only'' on paper -_- ?? Mou's era is over. We dont play 4-2-3-1 anymore , it sucks. 4-3-3 is better atm with our current players. Di Maria gets many playtime. He is also scoring a couple of goals.

Like i said , when you watch RM matches from La Liga , CDL or CL. Just remember the details too..

Missing someone important... Casilias. Our year would be more awesome with him.