Real Madrid need to use a tactic from Inter Milan to turn an attacking problem into a strength

Real Madrid are going to have a lot of mouths to feed in the attack next season after signing Kylian Mbappe and Endrick to add to an attack that already boasted Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Brahim Diaz.

That gives Real Madrid six of the best attacking players in LaLiga along with Endrick, who has the potential to be special and will be counted on as a rotational player by manager Carlo Ancelotti as an 18-year-old.

Real Madrid have an embarrassment of riches

Even if Real Madrid move to a 4-3-3 and switch Bellingham back to the midfield, that only gives three out of the seven talented attackers regular starts. Yes, rotation is one way Don Carlo can get everyone involved and keep them happy, but the notion of certain players getting phased out is a valid worry raised by those outside Madrid.

The thing is, Real Madrid are correct to frame their “problem” as a strength. In a way, it’s a very good problem to have too many talented players, especially at a time in world football where injuries are becoming more rampant and “burnout” is just as big of a buzzword as “tactics”.

So Real Madrid have options. And instead of worrying about how to keep those options happy or keeping one eye on the usual bizarre transfer rumors out of England linking some overrated, once-in-a-blue-moon Champions League contender to two-time winner Rodrygo Goes, Real Madrid can maximize their options.

All they have to do is task the master of attacking reinvention, Carlo Ancelotti, to take a look at the great rival of the club of his playing days for a solution that, in all honesty, every top club in European football should be stealing for their own use.

Simone Inzaghi turned Inter Milan into a force

It wasn’t long ago when people were calling for Simone Inzaghi’s head, even though he had just arrived from Lazio, where he outperformed the stature of the club by competing in the Champions League and even, briefly, the Scudetto.

Inzaghi didn’t listen to the media pressure or his own impatient fans. Instead, he stuck to his principles, unleashed the beast in Lautaro Martinez, and then produced the most underrated in-season turnaround in recent memory by getting Inter a better version of Romelu Lukaku away from a Champions League trophy to go with an easy Coppa Italia triumph.

Now, this past season, Inter coasted to the Scudetto by about 20 points over historic rivals AC Milan and Juventus after rewarding Inzaghi with an offseason of intelligent upgrades like Benjamin Pavard, Yann Sommer, and Marcus Thuram.

What does all this have to do with Real Madrid? Inzaghi is successful at Inter for a number of reasons, but one of his best ideas is keeping his entire team fresh by making frequent substitutions at demanding positions where a new set of legs can really change the game.

Sub, sub, and sub some more

Inzaghi subs his wing backs, strikers, and even midfielders early and often. He analyzes the game state and has a wealth of options off the bench he can call upon, especially at the striker position.

He’ll sub at the half-time break. He’ll sub at 60 minutes. He’ll use most of his substitutes at a time when most managers are still contemplating their first one, and, in doing so, he’ll flip the script of games on their head and have Inter bamboozling Serie A sides that do not know what hit them.

In the 2022/23 season, Inter had three strikers with at least 12 goal contributions. Inzaghi actually used Lukaku frequently as a super-sub for Edin Dzeko, knowing that both veterans would be much more effective with 45 minutes each and that their differing skill-sets would unbalance opponents, especially when Lukaku would come off the bench.

Alexis Sanchez and Marko Arnautovic were productive

Last season, Inzaghi had two more experienced Serie standouts in Alexis Sanchez and Marko Arnautovic as bench options to one of the world’s best strike pairings in Lautaro and Thuram. Alexis and Arnautovic combined for an average of 1.73 goals and assists per 90 minutes with the starters averaging 1.58 combined goals and assists per 90.

Look, nobody is trying to argue that 2024 Alexis Sanchez and Marko freaking Arnautovic are better players than Lautaro Martinez (a Ballon d’Or candidate) and Marcus Thuram (a starter for the French national team).

But the fact that they were even more efficient goal contributors highlights how much of an impact talented super-subs can make off the bench when they have more than 10 minutes to work with – and how fresh (and happy) that can keep EVERYONE in the squad.

Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe can benefit just as much as the backups

Real Madrid are going to start Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe in every game possible, but those two Ballon d’Or candidates can be at their most fresh when they get rest, especially if the club already have a game in the bag or if one of them is having a rough day at the office become some goon team in LaLiga like Getafe are hacking at ankles instead of playing real football.

Then, Real Madrid can bring in someone like Arda Guler to shoot some gems from 30-40 meters out or Brahim Diaz to bob and weave his ambipedal self through a condensed low block.

All the while, Real Madrid can analyze the data of the matches and compare, say, 500 minutes of Arda Guler to 700 minutes of Rodrygo Goes with better data points on who should be starting in which games.

Just as Real Madrid are adapting to an ever-changing transfer market by going after players for free and putting the power in star players’ hands to hold out for free-agent bonuses, Los Blancos should be just as wise to adapt with their decision-making on the pitch.