Real Madrid News
Real Madrid board disappointed with Ancelotti after Barcelona defeat
Real Madrid were dealt with a major blow in their hopes of securing a berth in the Copa Del Rey final, as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final.
Although the reigning Spanish champions will have another opportunity to overturn the slender deficit, the result has not gone down well with the Real Madrid board for obvious reasons.
According to Rodrigo Faez (h/t Madrid Xtra), the club’s hierarchy is extremely unhappy with Carlo Ancelotti following the result. They have criticised the Real Madrid manager for being too adamant about his approach and not having a plan B.
The Real Madrid board, including Florentino Perez, was already unhappy with the club’s draw with Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Although Los Blancos were able to bridge the gap to Barcelona at the top to seven points, the board felt it was a missed opportunity, especially after Barça’s surprise defeat to Almeria.
But with Real Madrid now losing to arch-rivals Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, coach Ancelotti has once again come under fire.
This comes shortly after initial reports in Spain that suggested the growing uncertainty over Ancelotti’s future at the club.
The Italian’s links with the Brazilian national team have already been well documented recently, but it appears even the players are now starting to question some of the coach’s tactical decisions.
There is an internal feeling of disappointment around the Ancelotti camp as well, as the Italian is unhappy that Real Madrid are pressing more for his exit from Santiago Bernabeu than the Brazilian national team.
In any case, Ancelotti is not in a good space right now and a major turnaround of fortune is required, if he is to secure his future at Bernabeu, at least until 2024.
According to reports from Mario Cortegana (h/t Madrid Zone), Real Madrid have two objectives for the upcoming summer transfer window. The centre-forward and the right-wing position are seen as the two positions to be reinforced but no decision has been made yet about making a move.
This comes over and above the Merengues’ pre-existing need for new midfielders and full-backs in the coming windows.
At first sight, it may appear that Los Blancos are well stacked in the final third. In Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo Goes, they have three starting quality players who are well-complemented by the likes of Marco Asensio and Federico Valverde.
Yet, Vinicius is the only player on the aforementioned list who can boast of a starting role in a fixed position for at least the next decade.
There is worry over the centre-forward role considering Benzema’s lack of form and fitness throughout the current campaign. With the Ballon d’Or winner already 35, the club need a young reinforcement soon which is evident with the team’s struggle for goals this term.
Los Blancos have already invested heavily in Endrick in this regard. However, that has not stopped them from following established options like Dusan Vlahovic and Erling Haaland as their Brazilian wonderkid will not arrive until 2024.
The right wing is also understaffed despite the presence of young Rodrygo and Fede Valverde. The duo have no dearth of talent but have not managed to click on the wing as well as the manager would have liked.
Thus, it remains to be seen as to who the club targets to strengthen the wing and aim to stretch the play. Given the heavy investment planned for Jude Bellingham, a low-cost option is likely to be considered.
M.E Leboko
March 4, 2023 at 8:43 pm
How Perez could be unhappy whereas he has refused to buy new players to strengthen the team for this season.Ancelotti may be the coach but cannot do miracles with the old team.At this stage all the teams have been reading the play of Real Madrid and they now do their best to master the play of it.