Rüdiger is close to a transfer to Real Madrid. However, he will be far from the starting line-up, will he settle for a substitute role?

Antonio Rüdiger was one of Chelsea’s most important players in last year’s Champions League title drive. But his contract is up this year and he probably won’t sign a new one because of the money. He is reportedly very close to Real Madrid, but there is a lot of competition at stopper. What will be his role in Spain?

A change of coach can make a big impact on some players, while others can be taken to a completely different level. Like Antonio Rüdiger. The German stopper was rather sitting on the bench under Frank Lampard, his performances in the 4-3-3 formation were rather dull.

But Thomas Tuchel came in and introduced a 3-5-2 formation, installing Rüdiger into the lineup. He has found his feet in the three-man defence, his greater defensive confidence makes him look like a wall, as he doesn’t face as many one-on-one attacks, but rather engages in headers and personal duels, in which he reigns supreme.

He has thus profiled himself as one of the Blues’ best players, yet he doesn’t want to continue at Stamford Bridge. The reason? Look for the money. Rüdiger is currently one of the lowest paid players in the squad, which does not correspond with his importance to the team. But on a new contract he is asking for 12 million euros per year, which Chelsea don’t want to agree to.

So the German international becomes a hot commodity. In fact, at 28 years old, he can go anywhere for free in the summer, he can sign a pre-contract as early as January 1 and Chelsea can do nothing about it. And the main candidate, according to behind-the-scenes speculation by Marca and AS, is Real Madrid, who are willing to meet Rüdiger’s demands.

But it is not very clear how Rüdiger will benefit from this move. He’s almost half of the defensive four, his strength is in the midfield three. But Real Madrid don’t play that style, Ancelotti prefers an exclusively four-defender system and he certainly won’t be ditching the whole style for one player.

And even in a four defender system, Rüdiger will have a hard time getting into the lineup at all. After all, Real Madrid, after the departure of the long-time stopper duo Ramos – Varane, have found the duo Alaba – Militao, who are playing absolutely brilliantly. Their performances are totally above expectations, even the most optimistic fans probably didn’t hope that the legendary duo could be replaced so quickly.

Moreover, both are young (29 and 23 years old), so Los Blancos won’t have to deal with stoppers for a couple of years. At the moment, Real Madrid are rather looking for a third stopper to back up the duo. And the reliable heartthrob Nacho, the offspring and fan favourite, is still ready on the bench. The Merengues don’t have a fourth stopper, Jesús Vallejo is only a few in the squad.

At the moment, it is absolutely inconceivable that Ancelotti would sit one of the Alaba – Militao pair. The Austrian all-rounder arrived in Madrid in the summer from Bayern Munich and immediately became one of the driving forces of the White Ballet.

Eder Militao, on the other hand, waited two years for his chance and when it finally came, he grabbed it with all his might. He has been putting in amazing performances and at just 23 years old, he is the stopper of the future for Real. Together, this duo have only conceded 16 goals, making them the second best defence in the league after Sevilla.

Another problem is the style of play. As mentioned, Rüdiger’s strengths lie in playing in a condensed defence, when he is shielded by teammates and undergoing defensive and header duels. However, Real Madrid play in a completely different way.

The game under Ancelotti often resembles total football, with Benzema and co. going on quick counter-attacks a lot, but equally leaving these opportunities to their opponents. Alaba and Milito are often rushed by 3 or 4 opposing players, but thanks to their incredible speed and agility they can usually handle these situations. The question is how Rüdiger, who is definitely not one of the slowest players, would handle this, but Alaba and Militae are much better in terms of movement.

Source: Twitter, Livesport