Can Rudiger succeed in a back four at Real Madrid?

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 2 Jun 2022 16:13 CDT
• 6 min read

Antonio Rudiger leaves Chelsea this summer, marking the end of his five-year stint in west London.

The 29-year-old is joining Real Madrid ahead of next season following the expiration of his Chelsea contract. He has signed a deal that will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2026.

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Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel had initially confirmed the news that Rudiger would be leaving the club following his side's late win over West Ham in May. He told Sky Sports: "The situation is he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk."

Tuchel, who had previously worked at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain before joining Chelsea, admitted the club had no chance of keeping hold of the defender.

"We gave everything - me and the club - but we could not fight anymore," he said. "Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision."

Former Chelsea captain and club legend John Terry responded to Tuchel's comments on Instagram, saying: "How have we let this man go."

With Rudiger playing a vital part in Chelsea's progression under Tuchel, it's no surprise Terry is bemused by the decision to let Rudiger leave the club.

While it is correct that Chelsea couldn't offer Rudiger a new contract, due to the sanctions imposed on the club following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an agreement could have been made months ago. It has been common knowledge that Rudiger's contract at Chelsea will expire at the end of the 2021/22 season, yet the club didn't offer the player a deal he deemed worthy for someone with his talent.

It's now left Chelsea with a gaping hole in defence and without one of their standout players. The Blues have now have lost Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma, Marc Guehi, Andreas Christensen and Rudiger, as well as potentially Cesar Azpilicueta, in the space of a year, leaving them with an almighty defensive rebuild to complete.

While Rudiger has developed into a world-class defender over the past year, which generated the interest from Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich and, of course, Real Madrid, he wasn't as polished before Tuchel's arrival at the club.

So by leaving Stamford Bridge, but perhaps more importantly Tuchel, will Rudiger be the same player?

Rudiger's career at Chelsea

The Germany international arrived at Stamford Bridge from Roma in 2017 and instantly became a regular in the team, but injury problems limited him to just 19 Premier League starts in Frank Lampard's first season in charge.

The groin injury that hampered his 2019/20 season also saw him spend the start of the following year on the bench as he looked a shadow of his former self. Kurt Zouma and new signing Thiago Silva were Lampard's preferred duo, with Rudiger limited to a role as an option in reserve.

The German was not a factor as Lampard's tenure entered its final stages. He was never able to establish himself as first choice under the Englishman.

Enter Thomas Tuchel.

With a fellow German in the dugout a Stamford Bridge, Rudiger was reborn, and Tuchel's switch to a back three system coincided with the defender's rise to prominence.

Despite being right-footed, he was deployed on the left of the back three and settled in that role immediately. With the pace to defend in wide areas comfortably, a skill many centre-backs don't have, Rudiger was ideally suited to playing in the role Tuchel had moulded for him.

His rangy style of driving out from defence with the ball and his tendency to aggressively follow attackers who drop deep were two further qualities that were perfect for playing in a back three.

Rudiger went from an outcast to playing a starring role in Chelsea's Champions League win in the space of six months.

That trajectory has continued this season, with the 29-year-old arguably being Chelsea's most impressive performer, along with fellow defender Thiago Silva, and midfielder Mason Mount.

Rudiger's absence from the backline has been rarely seen this year, but whenever it has, Chelsea have looked far more fragile. As an example, they conceded four goals at home to Arsenal with Malang Sarr filling in for the injured German.

His importance to Chelsea can therefore be seen just as much when he doesn't play as when he does.

With 18 months of playing almost solely in a back three under his belt, Rudiger will need to adapt his game upon arrival at Real Madrid, and it may impact him.

Will Rudiger work in a back four at Real Madrid

It's fair to say that Rudiger operated at his highest ever level in professional football in the last 18 months.

But, that was in a back three.

That doesn't mean his achievements should be discredited or even diminished slightly, but it should be taken into account.

With more bodies around him, Rudiger is given license to leave the defensive line in order to stay tight to his man and remain aggressive. This can be seen during Chelsea's numerous meetings with Liverpool under Tuchel's reign, where Rudiger is often touch-tight to Mohamed Salah, even following him when he drops deep or sometimes when he drifts out to the right touchline.

Playing in a back four will completely nullify this as Rudiger will need to stay compact without the safety of two centre-backs behind him.

He has the recovery speed, the strength and the ability on the ball to easily adapt to a back four, but he may go slightly under the radar. Without as many big tackles, driving runs forward or long-range shots, due to a more defensive and reserved role, Rudiger may not make the headlines he currently makes at Chelsea.

However, there is one crucial thing to note: Real Madrid are extremely dominant in La Liga.

Although Rudiger's best attributes may be slightly hindered by playing in a back four system in the Premier League, it shouldn't be such an issue in Spain.

While Chelsea are one of the better teams in the English top flight, it's a far more competitive league than in Spain, which means Rudiger should still excel at Real Madrid.

With plenty of the ball, Real Madrid's shape would allow for Rudiger to still show off his best traits. Joel Matip has been praised for his progressive runs forward this season, and the Liverpool defender does so in a back four. With Casemiro mopping up at Real Madrid, a seamless transition between the two could be formed fairly quickly by which Rudiger drives forward with the ball while the Brazilian sits deep.

After all, Rudiger sat in the top five per cent of centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries this past season.

He may not have been an elite defender before Tuchel joined Chelsea, but Rudiger is firmly one of the best centre-backs in world football now. While he may suit a back three perfectly, there's no reason why his skillset can't translate to Real Madrid's back four without any problems.