Real Madrid News
Ancelotti to give chances to players who did not start vs Barcelona in Juventus clash
The pre-season gives managers the freedom to experiment with little on the line. The glorified friendly fixtures help them get an idea of the talent at their disposal and the various combinations they can hope to use during the season.
Carlo Ancelotti has done complete justice so far on that front. The Italian tactician has used different systems across the team’s three games so far and utilised even several fringe players in his dynamics.
According to reports from AS, the trend will continue in tonight’s game against Juventus. The manager hopes to use those players who had little to no minutes in El Clasico in the starting lineup against the Old Lady.
Possible lineup
One can expect Thibaut Courtois to hold onto his starting spot, given that he missed the team’s first two pre-season games through injury.
David Alaba and Eder Militao will likely be replaced by Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez in central defence. Lucas Vazquez is well-placed to start at right-back, while Ferland Mendy’s injury assures Fran Garcia of a place at left-back.
One can expect Toni Kroos to anchor the team as the pivot on the night with Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga deployed ahead of him. While Bellingham’s performances demand another start, Nico Paz would be an interesting choice for Ancelotti in the attacking midfield role.
Vinicius Jr and Joselu could claim the final spots on the roster. The former is Ancelotti’s go-to man in the final third, and it is difficult to see the team play without him on the field.
Joselu, meanwhile, will be critical in depositing the chances created on the night into the back of the net. Real Madrid struggled with the finishing touch against Barcelona, and the Spaniard is Ancelotti’s best bet to turn things around.
The feud between Real Madrid and the referees has been ongoing for a long time now, and it is clear that the rift between the two cannot be bridged easily.
Los Blancos have made it clear time and time again that the refereeing standards have not been up to the mark in recent times, especially in their games.
Most recently, the Madrid derby generated much debate over the referees’ decision not to send off Atletico Madrid players but promptly send off a Real Madrid star.
Earlier this week, VAR’s prompt intervention in the decision to send Vinicius Jr. off further fueled the conspiracy theories, although it is quite clear that the offense was red-card worthy.
No support from the higher-ups
As reported by Anton Meana (h/t RM4Arab) in a recent update, no one in the Spanish Football Federation understands Real Madrid’s criticism of the refereeing performances and standards.
While they are aware of the conflict between the two parties, they do not see any fault on the referees’ side and support them fully.
In that sense, it is quite clear that the RFEF see Real Madrid’s allegations and criticism to be baseless in what comes as a massive development. After all, having the highest sporting authority in the country invalidate their claims comes as a big blow.
A full-blown war
Despite not having support from authorities or other parties, Real Madrid continue to wage a lone war against the refereeing, and their biggest weapon on that front has been Real Madrid TV.
After the recent win over Villarreal, the club’s media outlet once again launched a strong attack on the referees and called them out on their errors to mount pressure on the officiating system.
Five yellow cards were shown to the Real Madrid players on the night, in addition to Vinicius Jr.’s red card, and even those on the bench and coaching staff were not spared.
Most of the focus of Real Madrid TV, at this point, is on highlighting the double standards of referees and how Los Blancos are punished for instances where other clubs are handed a let-off.
In any case, the feud is not one to die down any time soon.
