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

Underestimating the opposition

If you were to ask anyone ahead of the match that Real Madrid was the side sitting comfortably at the top of the table, they would’ve indeed believed you, given the club’s recent form heading into El Clasico.

However, after the final whistle, you would’ve been called a liar as Madrid did not look like they were a side with a massive lead in the league standings whatsoever. To put it quite bluntly, they looked like a side fighting to escape relegation more than anything.

At the pre-match press conference leading up to the match, Ancelotti was full of confidence like most managers should be ahead of a big game and demanded that his team go out all guns blazing.

"“We feel good and confident. We’re facing a strong team in good form so we need to have a complete performance. We must defend well. We must press well. We must play the ball out from the back well. We must play vertical. We must do all of these things at different points of the game for a complete performance.”   – Carlo Ancelotti in the pre-match press conference leading up to El Clasico"

It was undoubtedly a much different story, as in the fixture itself, Madrid did precisely none of those things that Ancelotti had mentioned in the pre-match press conference.

To say that Los Merengues had underestimated their opponents is a bit of a stretch and could be used as an excuse to cover up the performance, but it was true.

Real Madrid were not weary of the threat that Barcelona possessed, and throughout the match, we’ve seen them allow Barca to have as much possession as they want while giving them all of the space in the world to play through.

It was a relaxed effort from Ancelotti’s men, and they did not even look like they wanted to try. Even Madrid’s left-back on the night Nacho admitted that his side relaxed due to their lead in the table.

All in all, this is a night that Madridistas want to forget and could be the catalyst that wakes up Ancelotti and co. to get serious ahead of the crucial end of the season.

Want your voice heard? Join the The Real Champs team!

Write for us!

Given Real Madrid’s current league standing, it remains to be seen whether or not Florentino Perez will be keen on sacking the Italian manager come the end of the season. Still, it’s a result that will indeed pile up the pressure on Ancelotti, and Perez will make sure to remind the Madrid manager.