Ancelotti playing with fire – and about his future

AnalyseThe championship is a long way off, the Copa has its back against the wall and there is still a long way to go in the Champions League. Real Madrid face crucial and tough weeks, a season without a big title seems quite realistic. Accordingly, Carlo Ancelotti will also be fighting for his future in the coming weeks. The deficit squad planning is not much help.

Sport The lack of peat is becoming a structural problem

At the end there was once again an analysis that you have heard in one way or another several times this season. „Up front we lacked efficiency, we lack that at the moment. (…) We could have scored today because we had three or four very clear chances. We did well at the back, we’re much better there at the moment. There is a lack of balance”, Carlo Ancelotti summed up after the 0-0 win at Real Betis, which meant the next loss of points and the next setback in the championship race. Once again you were the supposedly better and game-determining team, without ultimately developing the necessary penetrating power in front of the opposing body. A problem that already runs through a large part of the season, but could often be compensated for by the existing individual class. In recent weeks, however, this has been the case less and less, slowly but surely the lack of goal threat is developing into a structural problem for Blancos – and thus also for Ancelotti.

While they did get at least three or four good chances to score against the “Béticos”, as is well known, they didn’t get a single shot on target against FC Barcelona in the cup and only scored against Atlético (1-1) after a set piece. And in the games before that, with the exception of the win against bottom-placed Elche, they either remained goalless (0-0 against Real Sociedad and 0-1 against Mallorca) or scored very late in the game (2-0 against Osasuna). For Ancelotti, it is now important to get this problem under control quickly, otherwise the next season will be without a major title.

Sport Deficits in squad planning are noticeable

Simply passing the buck to Ancelotti in this regard would of course fall far short of the mark. Squad planning – and that’s nothing new either – needs to be questioned as a whole. On the one hand, there is the large construction site on the full-back positions, where the royals have had to grapple with emergency solutions again and again in recent weeks. On the other hand, of course, the lack of alternatives up front or the lack of a real right wing, which could form a corresponding counterpart to Vinícius Júnior and thus relieve the Brazilian.

The opponents of the royal team have repeatedly taken advantage of these structural problems in recent weeks. Because Vinícius usually received insufficient support from his partner on the left, Real’s left winger could be doubled again and again and thus effectively taken out of the game. Since a player rarely had the necessary width on the other side and the Blancos kept orienting themselves towards the center or tried to overload the left side, it was relatively easy for the opponent to close their own goal in a deep block and from a good compactness defend. In Seville, Ancelotti tried to counteract this problem with the somewhat more dynamic Camavinga, which gave Vinícius significantly more action than last time against Barcelona, ​​but the other shortcomings in the Madrid game could not be fully compensated for.

Sport Why doesn’t Ancelotti let Ceballos off the leash?

One of these shortcomings was the enormous static in the midfield and the lack of creativity. Rodrygo, who played in the center this time, repeatedly found promising positions between the lines, but because Valverde did not consistently hold the right flank, there was once again a lack of the necessary width to capitalize on these situations. Since Toni Kroos and Aurélien Tchouaméni were also two midfielders on the field, who are better known for their strategic skills than their goal threat, there was a lack of the necessary goal threat for many breakthroughs from the outside because both the penalty area and the backcourt were insufficient were occupied.

Significantly, the more or less greatest chance of the Royals in the game had substitute Daniel Ceballos, who narrowly missed the goal after Carvajal’s shot from behind. Speaking of Ceballos: It was like all too often in the last few weeks. Once Ceballos was on the field, Los Blancos’ game noticeably gained in verticality and creativity. And the question inevitably arises: why does Ancelotti keep letting the best and most in-form midfielder of recent months out in important games, even though he is so good for the team with his energy and sometimes unconventional style of play?

The Italian should be careful that his loyalty to the older players doesn’t fall on his feet in the end. While Ancelotti is known for trusting his veterans to the bitter end, he will likely have to choose between Kroos and Luka Modrić in the big games ahead for the team. You really shouldn’t leave a ceballos in this form outside. Especially since he brings with him exactly what his team’s game has often lacked in recent times: creativity, verticality and the danger of scoring.

Sport Late changes cause criticism

In addition to the personnel decisions, there is another reason Ancelotti’s support within the club is crumbling: the late changes in the game, which usually only take place when it is hardly possible to make a decisive difference in the game. Storm jewel Álvaro Rodríguez, who can be a stimulating element with his header power and ability to tie balls up, was only substituted on in the 84th minute against Barcelona and in the 87th against Betis – it goes without saying that great momentum is difficult to achieve here.

Ancelotti’s adherence to the same staff and his stubbornness in some tactical and personnel issues is nothing new. But how he deals with it in the coming, crucial weeks could have a decisive influence on his future. Because one thing is certain: If the Blancos do not win a major title this season, the Italian’s second stage at Concha Espina should be over. The championship fight is probably over, but the title in both the Copa and the Champions League is still within the realm of possibility – even if you have your back to the wall in the first competition and the second cannot be planned. In order to hold silverware in his hands at the end of the season, Ancelotti has to tweak a few things and possibly make one or the other unpopular decision. Because he’s currently playing with fire. And about his future.

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