Three Real Madrid players Carlo Ancelotti does not seem to trust

Every new manager takes time to find out his best XI, and figure out the players who can repay the faith that he shows them. It becomes very tough when there is a huge squad at the manager’s disposal, with a lot of quality and a handful of egos. Like any other manager, Carlo Ancelotti did take some time to figure it out.

The injuries and the lack of greater pre-season games made it slightly difficult, but he did succeed in finding the right formula. Though the template is slightly similar to the one that was used by the previous manager, the personnel are different. And Ancelotti also seems to have found that there are some players who can’t be trusted with all his heart.

Let us have a look at three such players whom Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t seem to trust. The names might be obvious picks to some extent, but let us also have a look at the reasons why the manager isn’t able to trust them.

Isco

Isco is a player who was used a lot by Carlo Ancelotti in his first spell, and quickly became the manager’s favourite. As everyone knows, he became a star under Zidane, but from 2018 he hasn’t been the same. He was reported to be leaving in the summer, but maybe the change of manager changed his decision, as he ended up staying.

There were many positive reports on Isco, especially regarding the improvement in his fitness levels and Ancelotti’s faith in the Spanish playmaker. And Ancelotti did stick to his word, as Isco got his chances in the early stages of the season, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric out with injuries. And Isco’s performance vs Levante gave some hope to the fans and Don Carlo, as the first half against Levante reminded everyone of the prime Isco we saw under Zidane.

But two problems that have limited Isco’s progress in his career came back to haunt him, with those problems being his consistency and the inability to play 90 minutes at a high level. He subsequently had a below-par game against Real Betis, and despite staying at Madrid for the international break, he was benched for the next set of games, with Luka Modric’s return and Eduardo Camavinga’s signing making him fall down the pecking order again.

He was limited to substitutional appearances and didn’t get to start one game from then. Though he scored a goal in one of those games against Mallorca as a substitute, his overall performances weren’t that motivating. He didn’t play for Madrid again after 25th September and missed a few games in October due to back issues. On a personal note, I didn’t even realise that Isco wasn’t in the squad list for the Shakhtar Donestk game and the Clasico.

Given the course of Isco’s career after 2018, this phase isn’t really surprising and his absence has been unnoticed by the media for a while. But Ancelotti’s lack of faith can be justified due to many reasons, with Isco’s profile being one of the main factors.

Ancelotti deploys a 4-3-3, in which he cannot accommodate a number ten.  Isco is a natural number ten, and though he did play as a CM in Ancelotti’s first stint, he doesn’t have the legs to work hard in the centre, unlike Asensio who has been used as a midfielder in some games. The above problems I mentioned regarding his consistency and fitness, combined with the presence of Kroos, Modric, Valverde and Camavinga make life much more difficult for Isco.

And Isco himself might not be interested in regaining his place at Madrid, with the midfielder out of contract next summer and this being his last season at Real Madrid. There’s nothing surprising in Isco’s current situation, and he can expect minutes in Copa Del Rey or if there’s an injury crisis.