Atletico Madrid got themselves the biggest win of their season till now, as they defeated Real Madrid 3-1 at the Metropolitano Stadium. A brace from Alvaro Morata and a strike from Antoine Griezmann were enough to hand the host all three points. Toni Kroos found the back of the net as well but the effort was in vain.
Many Real Madrid fans questioned the line up and the tactics after the game. And Carlo Ancelotti came under heavy criticism.
The Italian manager changed up his setup to a large extent, dropping the in-form Aurelien Tchouameni and changing Jude Bellingham’s role. Perhaps this was not the type of game to experiment and the result reflected that.
As reported by AS (via Football Espana), Diego Simeone said after the game:
"“They [Real Madrid full-backs] work that way. They have defended very high in other games and when their full-backs came out there were options for our midfielders. It was finding the back post, where they suffered the most.”"
Atletico boss Diego Simeone names Real Madrid’s weakness
While it was a disheartening defeat at the hands of crosstown rivals, it is way too early to panic if you are a Real Madrid fan. Ancelotti’s side came into this game having won all six of their games this season. Losing to Atletico Madrid away at the Metropolitano Stadium is not the end of the world.
But at the same time, it is also important to recognise the shortcomings of this team early. This was not their first disappointing performance of the season.
On the contrary, there have been quite a few games where they have looked off-colour only for Bellingham to pop up with a winner late on to save the day. To a certain extent, those goals only papered over the cracks that have been there for a while.
It is worth pointing out that there is a lack of depth in several positions at the moment, as the club did not bring in enough reinforcements over the summer. So, while it is easy to point the finger towards Ancelotti, he has not been dealt a great hand.