Real Madrid News
Carlo Ancelotti ‘extremely’ worried about 31-year-old forward’s poor form
Eden Hazard’s performance against fourth-tier club Cacereno has put Carlo Ancelotti under immense pressure.
The Italian manager kept his word and gave the Belgian a chance but as it turns out, the attacker failed to live up to the expectations and lasted a mere 68 minutes. And it has left the manager ‘extremely’ worried reports AS.
The 31-year-old recorded zero attempted dribbles, did not have a go at goal, lost the ball five times and managed just 24 touches, the lowest of any Real Madrid forward.
These are the statistics that are certain to worry any manager and Ancelotti is no different. The manager thought he could count on him during the packed schedule this month, but the player has only disappointed the main man.
Against Cacereno, the 31-year-old had most of his touches on the left side of the field and almost every single touch was outside the box. Hazard’s substitution saw Rodrygo moving to left and it only took the Brazilian a minute to score the winner for his team.
Interestingly enough, speaking after the game, Ancelotti did not say a lot against Hazard, but minced a lot about the state of the pitch.
“You can’t play football,” Ancelotti said. “For me, it’s not football, it’s another sport. It’s nice because small teams can fight and compete with bigger teams.
“It’s good for the fans, but the fans also want to see beautiful matches.
About Hazard, he noted, “I liked [Hazard]. It’s difficult to evaluate players individually, it was impossible to play. Smaller players like Hazard or Rodrygo suffer more, but he delivered.”
It must be noted that Hazard’s ongoing contract with Real Madrid runs until 2024, but he is more likely to leave the team before that. In fact, it is highly anticipated that he will be sold in summer itself.
Given the performance he delivered against the fourth-tier side of Spanish football, one can suspect that it is going to be the final roll of the dice.
Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that Atletico Madrid had made an approach to Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos, who will become a free agent in the summer.
It was claimed that the Rojiblancos were keen on signing the Spanish international and it was their second approach in recent times as they hoped to convince him to swap sides.
But, as per a fresh report from MARCA, Atletico Madrid have no intentions of signing Ceballos in the summer transfer window.
The report states that the 26-year-old’s profile is not something that appeals to Atletico Madrid, who are looking at a player like Sofyan Amrabat, in case they do wish to reinforce their midfield department.
Indeed, the report suggests that Diego Simeone is very happy with his set of midfielders as he has Koke, Marcos Llorente, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Rodrigo De Paul and Axel Witsel.
So, as things stand, Atletico Madrid are not looking to sign Ceballos. As for the midfielder, he is said to have offers from several important clubs across Europe heading into the summer. But, the Spanish international continues to prioritise staying at Real Madrid.
Ceballos is not seeking a major improvement on his salary either and just wants to be a prominent part of the team at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, that cannot be guaranteed if both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric also renew their contracts, especially with Real Madrid pushing to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
So, an exit could be the most likely outcome for Ceballos, but it seems like he will not be crossing the divide and signing for Atletico Madrid.
