Real Madrid face a second reset of the season after a second blow to their bitterest rivals in Barcelona. If Carlo Ancelotti has anything to do with it, the Clasico will have consequences.
Ancelotti had started the season believing that Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior could not play together for the big games due to their lack of defensive skills. Until Sunday evening it only happened against Borussia Dortmund due to injuries, a match they roared back into after being two goals behind. The last few weeks and the intensity shown by his players had changed his thinking to give them a chance against Barcelona.
However, the Italian's initial thinking turned out to be right, and after conceding to Barcelona, his plan collapsed, Marca reports. Not only did Ancelotti express his surprise at the number of long balls his side played after the defeat at Barcelona, but the lack of commitment from the front four and their inability to stick to his plan meant Barcelona had an easy time in Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, The Athletic reported that Ancelotti was considering a change in formation, including dropping one of the front three (most likely Rodrygo) for a midfielder when facing bigger sides. The Madrid newspaper confirms that idea and also says that Raul Asencio will come into the backline for Aurelien Tchouameni, and that Fede Valverde will have to make a change at right back on the big nights, with Lucas Vazquez once again in the spotlight.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was criticized in the Spanish capital after telling Luka Modric that 'we have to lose one final', and the sounds from Valdebebas were certain that Perez was the biggest advocate for all four matches combined. That said, Ancelotti has made 'balance' and 'defensive solidity' the hallmarks of his discourse during his second spell at Real Madrid, and you could argue he didn't need a 5-2 defeat to Barcelona to do that.
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