Going into the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi finals, Real Madrid were considered as the heavy favourites to get a win over Barcelona. Xavi’s team were in the middle of a bad run of form and were missing several key players like Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele. Andreas Christensen was also dealing with a knock and was left on the bench as a result.
Thus, not only did fans expect Real Madrid to win but by a comfortable margin as well. That did not happen. On the contrary, it was Barcelona who went home with a 1-0 victory, leaving Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a mountain to climb in the second leg at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid failed to register a shot on target against a makeshift Barcelona defence, where Marcos Alonso was slotted in as a centre-back. Unsurprisingly, fans were not happy with the display, and it looks like neither were the board.
As reported by ESPN, sources said Real Madrid’s board were disappointed by Ancelotti’s tactics in the side’s 1-0 defeat to Barcelona. Some senior figures at the club criticised the manager’s lack of a plan B.
Real Madrid board unhappy with Ancelotti’s tactics after El Clasico
It was not a brilliant display from Real Madrid to say the least, especially considering the circumstances. They might have dominated possession but everything else was lacking.
Barcelona are expected to be much stronger as a squad in the second leg at Camp Nou. And they will most probably have a lot more momentum on their side as well. This time around, they had come into Santiago Bernabeu, on a two-game losing streak and had won only once in their previous four matches.
Thus, this was a big missed opportunity for Real Madrid for sure. But at the same time, they have an incredible ability to turn ties around and hopefully, that will be on full display at Camp Nou.
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