Real Madrid vs. Chelsea: 3 positives Carlo Ancelotti must carry into second leg
3. Making substitutions at the right time
The thing that Carlo Ancelotti has been criticized for the most has been his lack of rotations and late substitutions in the game. He runs his players to the ground often heightening the risk of injury and fatigue. However, on Wednesday he surprised us all with his timely substitutions.
The first sub came in the 64th minute as Militao came off for Nacho. Although it was a forced change as Eder suffered a couple of knocks, Carlo did not wait for the last moment to make a sub risking an injury to an extremely crucial player.
Later he substituted Toni Kroos for Eduardo Camavinga. Kroos played a great game, however, it was clear that he had lost steam and needed to be taken off. Usually, Carlo resists making changes when the team is in a lead to maintain the formation. However this time he did the right thing by bringing in Camavinga who is young and energetic.
The next set of substitutions came in the 86th minute. Carlo decided to bring in Gareth Bale for hattrick man Karim Benzema. It is very rare to see Carlo taking off Benzema in a game. However, his job was done for the game. The last 10 odd minutes were down to defending the lead and taking the game into the second leg. He brought in Bale whom he described as a Real Madrid legend. He took off Valverde too as he was suffering from fatigue.
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Real Madrid is in the business end of the season with two trophies in sight. We have a sizeable nine-point lead in the league and a two-goal cushion in the Champions League quarters. Carlo Ancelotti must rotate the crucial positions in the side in order for the team to have a shot at glory at the end of the season. Timely substitutions like on Wednesday are a step in that direction.