Real Madrid News
Ancelotti’s selection dilemmas grow ahead of Real Madrid’s clash against Real Sociedad
Carlo Ancelotti has had his decisions relatively straightforward to this point in the season. While the series of injuries indeed crippled his options, they did give him the luxury of knowing exactly whom to deploy on matchdays.
As the sidelined stars slowly make their way back on the field, the Italian is forced to face the inevitable challenge.
As revealed by AS, the returns of Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos bring the first such dilemma to Ancelotti’s doorstep, with the pair likely to return to contention for Sunday’s clash against Real Sociedad.
Who is the right left-back?
Mendy’s prolonged absence since the middle of pre-season gave Fran Garcia a golden chance to prove his worth to the manager.
Needless to say, the Spaniard grabbed his chance with both hands. In four league appearances so far, the 24-year-old has provided one key pass per game while averaging close to five defensive actions and eight recoveries per game.
With Mendy back in the mix, it will be interesting to see if Garcia has done enough to keep his name on the roster or if the manager sticks with the French defender against Real Sociedad and in the future matches.
A messy midfield
Dani Ceballos was the first player in the Real Madrid camp to be injured this season. Shortly after announcing his contract renewal, the midfielder was sidelined and did not travel with the team to the United States of America.
As he nears his return, it is increasingly clear that Ceballos has a mountain to climb. If his fight for minutes last season was gruelling, it is exponentially harder this time around.
Ancelotti thus has a herculean task of managing players’ minutes in the middle of the park. Seven players compete for just four spots on the field, and with Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham almost guaranteed starters, there are only two spots realistically up for grabs.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid retain total confidence in Carlo Ancelotti despite derby disaster – report
Sunday night was a disappointing one for Real Madrid as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby at the Civitas Metropolitano.
The Merengues suffered their first defeat of the 2023/24 season as former striker Alvaro Morata scored a brace for the Rojiblancos while Antoine Griezmann was also on target.
Real Madrid might be feeling aggrieved by some of the calls made by the referee on the night but they were just not good enough to secure all three points at the Metropolitano.
Real Madrid retain full confidence in Ancelotti
Despite the disappointing performance and outcome, Real Madrid retain their full and total confidence in manager Carlo Ancelotti, reports Jose Felix Diaz (via RM4Arab).
There had been question marks about the team selection made by the manager for the derby against Atletico Madrid.
After all, the Italian opted to bench Joselu from the starting XI to bring in Luka Modric and shift the tactics.
Aurelien Tchouameni was also left out despite being one of the team’s strongest performers this season with Toni Kroos being preferred.
The Real Madrid hierarchy wishes for the manager to trust the next-gen midfield for the big games but Ancelotti’s selection indicated that he is still not ready to do so.
Despite there being some differences, the board retains full confidence in Ancelotti.
Ancelotti accepts blame for defeat
It was a disappointing performance from Real Madrid in their biggest test of the 2023/24 season so far and speaking after the match, manager Ancelotti accepted the blame for the outcome.
“Maybe I could have done it better. It’s pretty clear. When the team doesn’t do what it has to do, it’s my responsibility. It’s my fault,” Ancelotti said.
With the game done and dusted, Real Madrid now turn their focus towards producing a strong comeback when they face Las Palmas later this week.
