Real Madrid: 5 moves that must be made after disgraceful El Clasico

Real Madrid may have put together the single worst performance in the history of El Clasico on Sunday night, losing to their storied rivals 4-0 in a match that could have easily ended 8-0 in Barcelona’s favor. Carlo Ancelotti’s gameplan has been roundly panned by tactical analysts and fans alike, and Real are reeling heading into the “international break” with all eyes on their date with Thomas Tuchel in the Champions League.

Madridistas have plenty to discuss following such a shameful defeat to their biggest rivals. Here are five moves that Real Madrid clearly must make both in the short-term and in the coming summer transfer window, as a response to El Clasico.

Carlo Ancelotti has to go this summer

My colleague William Beach spoke at length about why Carlo Ancelotti must go, but I would like to reiterate this point with my own analysis. Carlo was brought in this summer as the safest option – a stopgap for Real before a big summer 2022 window. His task was to get the most out of the young players and to find some sort of a role for the outcasts, either to revive their Madrid careers or boost their transfer values.

Aside from Vinicius Jr.’s explosion, which happened so early in the season that it probably was not the result of Carlo’s coaching anyway, he has failed in every respect. Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard, Dani Ceballos, Isco, and Gareth Bale remain unused. Prospects like Miguel Gutierrez, Sergio Arribas, and Antonio Blanco who showed great promise in 2020/21 are totally unused. Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde have been tremendous but underutilized. Whereas Vini has exploded, Rodrygo Goes has taken a clear step back under Ancelotti.

His tactical decision-making is comically bad. There is no structure, and against any top manager, Ancelotti is outclassed. He was carried by his top players in several big games this season, most notably against PSG in the Champions League second leg.

There is no point in firing Ancelotti now. And he is not all bad. He is a classy man who can navigate the politics of Madrid adeptly. However, he is not a top-level manager in the modern game. If there were any hopes of that, Xavi killed them once and for all in a humiliation for the ages.