Really doubt we ' ll give up wide players . Wide players provide a lot of cover for our fullbacks from a defensive point of view and overlapping runs and crossing which have both been a major part of the team ' s attacking impetus . Wide players make runs that can commit fullbacks and center backs , that relieves pressure on Ronaldo , gives him more space to operate in Benzema does that as well in a 442 ofc . With two up front in a 41212 you need both your strikers to be good with their back to goal or can at least hold the ball well . Benzema is perfect for that he ' s shown that for the past 23 seasons , but Ronaldo ' s close control and holdup play are not great , without a winger to soak up pressure and take attention off him , he ' ll suffer . Also this formation is a lot more defensive than Zidane likes to play . You need a tight compact team and there isn ' t a lot of room for interchange between players , its more for nullifying the opposition . One of the strikers usually falls back and the CAM picks up the deep lying playmaker from the other team . You tend to see it a lot in Serie A . It can be played in an attacking way , but as I mentioned wingplay is a real important asset for this Madrid side , so i doubt they ' ll give it up .