How Jude Bellingham forced Carlo Ancelotti to change Real Madrid's system

Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Jude Bellingham and Karim Benzema have forced him to update his system at Real Madrid.

Following Benzema's departure to the Saudi Pro League, Real Madrid have not signed a replacement for him. Instead of signing another number nine, Ancelotti has said he has been forced to make tweaks to his side as they are seeing Bellingham as a replacement for Benzema.

'Jude is a mature boy, with a lot of quality'

The Real Madrid head coach has changed his formation a bit as he is positioning Bellingham as a number 10 just behind two split strikers.

In a recent interview, Ancelotti was asked about Real Madrid not signing another striker after Benzema's exit. To which, the Italian manager replied: "We believe that the arrival of Bellingham covers the absence of Karim. [Bellingham] is a serious, mature boy with a lot of quality. What he is doing is not surprising to those of us who know him, what is surprising is that he is only 20 years old."

Speaking of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who had been linked with a move to Real Madrid, Ancelotti said that with Bellingham's arrival, the club did not have to think of Osimhen.

"(Victor) Osimhen is one of the strongest forwards in Europe, but we never thought about him. With the arrival of Bellingham, we thought of compensating for Benzema's departure in another way. I still enjoy it (football) and I like to train every day, finding new solutions for the team. Football has changed a lot, but this pushes you to update," added Ancelotti.

Ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, Bellingham was linked with a few top European clubs, including Premier League side Liverpool FC. However, the English midfielder was clear that he wanted to play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid signed Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund for £88.5m, on a six-year contract. The 20-year-old playmaker took little time to settle down at his new club as he has already taken La Liga by storm.

Bellingham has netted three goals and an assist for Real Madrid in two league outings. His Real Madrid debut came in his side's away La Liga fixture against Athletic Bilbao. He was one of the scorers as Los Blancos won the game 2-0.

Bellingham went one level up in the next game as he recorded a brace in Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over UD Almería. He also set up Vinicius Junior's 73rd-minute goal.

Earlier, Ancelotti also praised Bellingham for how quickly he had adapted to the new system at Real Madrid.

"He's outstanding. He has plenty of personality and has adapted very quickly to the team's system. It seems like he's been with us for a long time and he's a very talented player," said Ancelotti.

Bellingham: I'm 10 times better than last season

Meanwhile, Bellingham has expressed just how good he feels at Real Madrid before adding that it is much better than what he felt last season at Dortmund.

"I'm ten times better than I was last season. I feel really comfortable with these players and I'm learning every day. The level here is so high and I'm like a sponge, taking in everything my teammates tell me. That's why I've started the season so well. I have to keep helping the team. There are loads of games still to come and I have to keep contributing," Bellingham told Real Madrid TV.

Even though he has had a fine start to his Real Madrid career, Bellingham believes he still needs to work in every area of his game.

"I'm thrilled but the main thing is to play well and do my bit. I know my teammates will look for me but it's not about scoring goals. I'm delighted to score and help the team win games but I have to work on every area of my game," said Bellingham after scoring the brace.