Why Do Real Madrid Insist on Buying No. 10s When They Don't Play with One?

Real Madrid are likely to go big over the summer in the transfer market again as they bid to overhaul Barcelona's dominance in La Liga, with the team ideally placed to mount a sustained period of success over the next few years.

Of course, that depends on various factors—Zinedine Zidane continuing to progress as a coach for one, the improvements of their domestic rivals being another—but Real themselves have plenty of control over how their challenge, at home and abroad, will develop for the next couple of years.

Part of that is, of course, how they act in the transfer market—and it's time they start buying for positions they genuinely can and need to upgrade, rather than simply going for big names, high-profile players and presidential favourites.

OK Diario (h/t Sport) suggests Zidane has Eden Hazard in his sights as a priority for this summer, giving a good example of what we mean: The Belgian plays either from the left or as a No. 10 for Chelsea and his national team, both of which are unnecessary positions for Real to boost this summer. Cristiano Ronaldo plays from the left, an immovable part of the side, while there is no No. 10 in the lineup and hasn't been on a regular basis for some time.

With that in mind, why do Real continue to spend such vast sums on central attacking playmakers, shoehorning them into the XI elsewhere and risking not getting the best out of them instead of buying for purpose?

Big-buy mentality 

Of course, strikers and attacking midfielders will always be in favour and in fashion. They are the highest-profile names in the football world on account of their end product, playmaking and goalscoring, and the biggest clubs will always try and ensure they have the offensive power in their ranks to win titles.

But team building is about so much more than simply buying the best players. Roles need to be filled and a balance must be sought. For all the offensive talent on the pitch, a team can only thrive when the off-the-ball work is done, too, when the defence is protected and players are in their natural roles. It's not a coincidence the team's results picked up for a fantastic run once Casemiro came into the side in midfield in 2015-16.

One of the disappointments of the season was James Rodriguez. After excelling in his debut campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu, he found his two best positions from 2014-15 unavailable: from the right in a 4-4-2, which wasn't favoured by Rafa Benitez or Zidane, and a No. 10 that, as mentioned, simply doesn't exist in the regular setup.

Another was Isco, who suffers in a similar way: he's best from the left in a 4-4-2 and as a No. 10, but neither were available.

Not every player can simply adapt and improve or play just as impressive a game from a new position, in the way Real seem to demand they must. Sometimes it works out that way, of course, such as with Luka Modric: A No. 10 at Tottenham, he then spent a season in central midfield before moving to Real Madrid. They initially used him offensively before he morphed into one of the world's best all-round central players.

Toni Kroos was a fantastic No. 10 at Bayern Munich, also playing in central midfield, but Real shifted him even further back to play as a deep, controlling midfielder.

The total amount spent on those four players alone—Kroos, Isco, Modric, James—amounts to a massive £120 million and none now play as a No. 10 for the club. Of those, James is the most concerning. He was bought on the back of a stellar World Cup in which he shone as a supporting forward from the 10 zone, scoring plenty of goals and costing close to £60 million, yet he has been moved and asked to adapt ever since.

Consider the additional costs: Shifting other players out to bring the new faces in can be a time-consuming business (Sami Khedira simply ran down his contract and left on a free transfer as a result of the additional attacking names pushed into his central role), not to mention a disturbing process for the actual team itself.

The last one who was bought as a 10 and fit the team was Mesut Ozil, signed back in 2010, but even he was asked to move to the right with increasing frequency towards the end of his tenure at the Bernabeu.

Tactical indecision

With No. 10s so high on the wish list, many would see it as a basic requirement that the team played with a formation that actually utilised one: 4-2-3-1, a diamond midfield, 5-3-2 with one playmaker...the possibilities go on, but with the exception of a few short months under Benitez, three managers in a row have now played without a 10.

Carlo Ancelotti played either 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, the latter being a well-balanced, inverted midfield but one that always meant a forward from the BBC attack missed out.

Ancelotti didn't mince his words with regard to the forwards, per Anyoli Montero of Marca: "I have no doubt—if Cristiano Ronaldo, [Karim] Benzema and [Gareth] Bale are fit, they will always play." Fast forward 10 months and those words were almost precisely repeated: "I'll always play with the three of them, that's definitely the plan," but this time it was Zidane uttering them, per Marca.

Benzema, Ronaldo and Bale are untouched and seemingly untouchable, no matter the other signings or available players. It means both managers favoured and favour 4-3-3, therefore the midfield alignment has to be balanced out by excluding a No. 10.

Benitez did briefly start his stint at Real using 4-2-3-1, but it was Bale, not James or Isco or anyone else, who got the nod in the central role. It didn't last long, despite showing early promise—neither did Benitez once he switched back to 4-3-3.

Zidane has given no indication of change for 2016-17, occasionally switching to a four-man midfield toward the back end of 2015-16 in Liga matches but essentially keeping his side geared toward 4-3-3.

Again, no No. 10.

Not just the big bucks

The £120 million on four players seems a reasonably big deal, but Real have splashed out elsewhere along the way on players who don't fit, who aren't given a huge chance to shine and, naturally, on those who are seen as No. 10s.

Marco Asensio is a great example—he has the capacity to play anywhere along the attacking midfield line (which Real Madrid don't use), but he's most at home just off the striker, with space to play in and movement around him. He is, and could already contribute to Real's first team as, a No. 10.

But there's no place for him. Can he develop his game further and be one of the 8s in central midfield? He likely will have to. Last season on loan at Espanyol, he showed his capacity to play effectively from the left, but as mentioned above, that position is somewhat locked down by the greatest goalscorer in Real Madrid's history.

Lucas Silva is another, derided as not good enough by fans and quickly shipped out on loan for a torrid season at Marseille—but not good enough where? In central midfield and as an occasional holder.

His true position? No. 10.

Marca recently reported that Zidane still has faith in the Brazilian and does not want to sell him, but the manager will loan him out again next season in the hope he can rediscover his true form and reach his potential. The likelihood of that happening as a Real Madrid player is decreasing by the day.

Isn't it time, especially on the back of a triumphant UEFA Champions League campaign, to finally buy for purpose?

Playmakers, attackers, scorers and excitement—that's what Real demand and want at all costs, including the balance and growth of the team. It's the ideal time to finally stop that approach and build a side that has huge strength in depth, and that cannot happen if they continue buying central attacking midfielders and expecting them to shine when forced into alternative, at times entirely alien, roles.

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