Real Madrid: 3 things Carlo Ancelotti should know by now but frustratingly doesn’t

2. Key players cannot be risked or overused

The second thing that Ancelotti should’ve realized by now is related to the first issue I discussed in the previous slide. Since the manager is hesitant to rotate his squad, key players like Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, etc. are playing every passing game making them more likely to feel the effects of fatigue.

Players like Karim Benzema and David Alaba already had been sidelined by injuries this season and Real Madrid simply cannot afford to lose any of its key campaigners. Benzema was clearly not fit enough to start against PSG, nor was he fit enough to play the complete 90 minutes against Alaves. But, he did and Real Madrid continued to live at risk.

This is the business end of the season. And, the two competitions Real Madrid are alive in, LaLiga and the Champions League, aren’t competitions that can be taken lightly. Real has opened up a considerable gap at the top of the standings but so did Atletico Madrid by the midway mark last season. And, we all know how that went down, the league crown was in question until the very last Matchday. If Real Madrid wants to avoid such a situation Ancelotti needs to limit overrunning his key players.

And, the solution to it is the one thing Ancelotti hasn’t done well this season, squad rotation. He has more than capable players on the bench and he needs to trust these players. The midfield especially has players capable of starting big games. In the attack, Eden Hazard, in my opinion, has made more than just a considerable case for a start. The defense, one may argue is a bit undermanned, but, Ancelotti has Nacho Fernandez at his disposal. Moreover, Castilla man, Rafa Marin should also be trusted with first-team minutes.

Last but not the least, if Ancelotti cannot really muster the courage to start his bench players, he should at least rectify the substitution policy. Most of Real Madrid’s substitutes have come on after the 75-minute mark. Pushing that figure to 70 could get these players a 20-minute rest at the end of games. Injury-prone players like Dani Carvajal or recovering players like Karim Benzema are in dire need of the same.