Real Madrid: 5 things Carlo Ancelotti got horribly wrong in El Clasico

Poor team selection

It’s pretty easy for supporters to vouch for which player deserves a spot in the lineup, but ultimately it doesn’t make a difference as the manager has the final say in deciding the lineup.

It’s true, and it’s something that supporters will have to understand as the manager sees things that we do not see. Day in and day out, managers see what players are performing in training and what players best suit their tactical setup.

While we cannot be entirely critical of this, Ancelotti’s team selection certainly did raise some eyebrows ahead of the match. With Benzema out injured, there were a lot of talking points of who was going to replace the Frenchman.

It looked as if Rodrygo was going to take up the mantle, but he drastically failed to deliver, and it was a decision that did not make much sense on Ancelotti’s part.

While the Italian manager likes Rodrygo for his defensive work rate, in a match where Real Madrid missed Benzema and played four midfielders, it would have made much more sense to stack up the lineup with as much attacking firepower as possible.

Ideally, replacing Benzema with another number nine would make sense. Still, the Madrid manager did not think that would be the best solution as he opted to operate without a viable striker in the lineup.

Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz would’ve been a like-for-like change in the lineup, but Ancelotti’s lack of rotation and trust in his players throughout the season has drastically seen the rotational players struggle.

It’s a problem that has been going on since the beginning of the season, and Ancelotti’s over-reliance on the same eleven players has caught up to him. It could see Madrid struggle throughout the remainder of the season should it continue.

If Ancelotti was constantly giving more and more opportunities to players such as Miguel Gutierrez, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jovic, there would be more confidence in the team selection for the manager if there appear to be cases where star players are out injured.

Xavi has done an excellent job incorporating youth into the Barcelona setup, so why is it a problem for Ancelotti to do the same?