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

1. Marco Asensio shouldn’t be the regular starter at RW

The most apparent thing that should’ve been crystal clear to Ancelotti by now is that Marco Asensio shouldn’t be Real Madrid’s first choice at right-wing. Although rotation is a bigger issue and it can put the season in jeopardy if any one of our key campaigners picks up a lengthy injury problem, the issue that has been raising all fans’ eyebrows but not Ancelotti’s is the recurring starts Marco Asensio is getting.

Asensio is a ghost for most part of the games he plays in. He is absolutely anonymous against strong defenses, his work rate is below par, and he cannot track back in time to support the defense. He is blessed with a sweet left foot and has been scoring golazos from time to time, with the latest and his best one of the season coming in the last game against Alaves.

As my colleague, Sai says, Asensio doesn’t perform until and unless his complacency is questioned. In the last game, it was the whistling fans that compelled him to score and at other times it’s his manager favoring other players ahead of him. That shouldn’t ever be the case with a player who is about to enter his prime years. The hunger for more should grow in him naturally rather than being dependent on external factors pushing him. His goal scoring has also been in response to the pending contract extension that is in question for the Spaniard.

In my opinion, Eden Hazard should be the one starting in place of Asensio. He has made a case with his flashes of brilliance off the bench. He scored a decisive goal against Elche in the Copa del Rey and he has been brilliant creatively in the last games that he has appeared in as a substitute. He at least has convinced me enough to try giving him a chance. Moreover, Asensio was simply anonymous against PSG, and starting him in the second leg could be a mistake that comes back to haunt Carlo Ancelotti.