Pablo de la Calle

Updated Monday, February 5, 2024-22:55

  • Carlo Ancelotti "If they are taller it is easier to win an aerial duel"

  • Chronicle Atlético attacks Madrid's Achilles heel

  • The grasscutter Ancelotti gave a good gift to Atlético

Nacho

and

Carvajal

do not get along and

Marcos Llorente

takes advantage of the mistake to equalize the derby and thwart Madrid's escape in the League. The hole in the central area hinders the whites' options.

Carlo Ancelotti

resorts to improvised patches that fail to hide the lack of troops in the defense axis. With the accumulation of misfortunes - (injuries to

Militao

,

Alaba

and

Rüdiger

), the Italian invents centre-backs and has forgotten about the winter market and the quarry. Decisions supported by the results until the last derby, when a disputed management of deficiencies slowed down the league trajectory and warned of the stress that can come in the complicated situations in the League (on Saturday they host Girona) and the Champions League.

Despite the setback against Atlético, Ancelotti does not lose his calm and maintains that the hole will not become a sinkhole in the crucial weeks of February and March. Many believe that facing the next challenges only with Rüdiger (physically burdened) and Nacho (far from his best moment) is a risky bet. If

the club does not want to spend money on foreign players

, the wisest thing would have been to go to the quarry, but Ancelotti, not fond of searching in the lower categories, prefers to hold out until Militao's return, scheduled for the middle of next month. March.

In this sense,

Carletto

is more conservative than

Xavi Hernández

, who did not hesitate to turn to

Pau Cubarsí

(17 years old) to cover the absences of

Íñigo Martínez

and

Christensen

. Before him he gave the alternative to

Yamal

,

Fermín

or

Guiu

. The Italian does not trust

Raúl González

's kids

. On several occasions he has summoned

Álvaro Carrillo

(21 years and 1.82 meters)

as a testimonial .

He also once summoned

Raúl Asencio

from the Canary Islands (20 years old, 1.84 meters tall), but was later recalled because he had to testify in a trial for the dissemination of a sexual video.

"He knows it better than anyone"

Joaquín Caparrós

understands Ancelotti's decisions: «It is difficult to give an opinion without being within the team. If he has not gone to the market it is because he believes that in the team he has what it takes to cover the losses. He knows it better than anyone. Ancelotti and his players have assumed responsibility. He does ask Carvajal if he sees himself capable of playing as a center back and he tells him yes, because there are no more doubts about the story.

Former Real Madrid player Rubén de la Red

agrees along the same lines as the coach

: «With the recovery of Rüdiger and the contribution of Tchouaméni,

I think the gaps can be covered

. Madrid has enough staff, that's why it didn't go to the market. Besides, there is the quarry.

End to the emergency

Ancelotti believes that the worst is over. «This has been a really special game because we faced it with two fallen players who could play as a center back. "This emergency is over because in the next game we have Rüdiger and Tchouaméni," he noted after facing Atlético. On the eve of the derby he also pointed out that

Camavinga

and

Mendy

could serve as improvised center backs.

The Italian prefers patches rather than new additions, although with that he loses forcefulness, height and effectiveness in the aerial game. A weakness that Atlético took advantage of and that their next opponents will take note of. «They have made many centers. We have played in the zone quite well from set pieces,

Valverde

and Camavinga have contributed a lot in this regard. The centre-back pairing (Nacho-Carvajal) has been very good, they have barely given

Griezmann

a chance ," he defended.