Ancelotti risks squeezing an exhausted leader

With the experience of seven years ago in his first stage at Real Madrid, when after a Spanish football record of 22 consecutive victories the white team collapsed to close the 2014-2015 season failing in the League and with only two titles minors (European Super Cup and Club World Cup), Carlo Ancelotti returns to risk squeezing its holders. The Italian coach is resorting to an eleven that can almost be recited by heart, but Madrid is already offering worrying signs of exhaustion, out of breath during a particular ‘Everest’ that has set off the alarms and has led the leader’s coach to reconsider.

“We will have to evaluate what we have to do for the next game (on Saturday against Real Sociedad in Anoeta)”, acknowledged Ancelotti after the suffered and incredible victory against Athletic, a day after proclaiming that he was not worried about the wear and tear of his players and that he had no plans to rotate except in case a physical problem required it. However, with nine games in 32 days – he has played four, all of which ended in triumph – with a calendar so overloaded and the team very tired, Ancelotti is already considering a turn of the wheel in his plan to always bet on his best footballers and dose efforts from now on.

Ancelotti, who like his team is more comfortable defending and counterattacking, is in favor of resorting to quality in the first minutes and, with the score in favor, enduring the last half hour with more physical players, “with more energy” , Valverde and Camavinga case, but he is already suffering too much this season due to his bad habit of disconnecting, not closing the games and leaving the ball and the initiative to the rivals. Precisely, the best minutes of Real Madrid against Athletic were the first 20 and those that the coach liked the least, because despite his good game in that section his team was not forceful then. The usual one, Benzema, had to appear to give Real Madrid an advantage, which survived only thanks to Courtois saves and the lack of a goal from an Athletic that did not stop subduing and harassing the whites throughout the second half.

He is concerned about “improving defense”

Despite his lack of ideas and lack of freshness in attack and his inconsistency in defense, there are now seven consecutive victories for Real Madrid and ten games without losing, neither in the League nor in the Champions League. This has led him to open a gap in the championship against Atlético, which he will receive on December 12, and to have the opportunity to earn the group lead in Europe next Tuesday against Inter. Before facing those two duels against direct rivals, Madrid still has an imminent clash against the third-placed in the League, with Real already seven points apart, but with the Donostiarras, like the Bilbaoans, much more rested.

While Ancelotti is debating between reserving some of his most punished players from now on or continuing to hold on to his veteran trident in midfield, when Madrid is holding on with many victories by the minimum, especially thanks to Courtois and Benzema (or Vinicius ), the coach is particularly concerned about “improving defensively.” Militao and Alaba were unknown against Athletic on Wednesday night and Madrid did not stop suffering from set pieces. However, as Alaba has become essential, not even the sprained knee he suffered against the Sheriff allowed the Austrian defender to rest against Sevilla or Athletic.

As a replacement for the center of the rear there is only the versatile Nacho, one of the few substitutes used this season by Ancelotti, who does not usually use more than 15 players per game, with Valverde, Camavinga and Rodrygo also in the chamber. “I have to think that we have three games (against Real, Inter and Atlético) where we don’t have time to rest, but I’m very satisfied with everyone, those who play everything and those who don’t play for a minute,” insists the coach merengue, whose great challenge from now on is to manage its staff.