Real Madrid is going through a very complicated period. Slapped at home by Barça (0-4), the Merengue club returned to its Santiago Bernabéu yesterday evening for the 4th day of the Champions League. Exempted from the championship last weekend due to the terrible floods which hit the city of Valencia, Casa Blanca hoped to be forgiven for the Clasico debacle with the reception of AC Milan. In the end, this clash of C1 legends plunged Madrid into crisis. Beaten 3-1 and long manhandled by the tactically dominant Rossoneri, Carlo Ancelotti's team is in 17th place in the Champions League standings this morning. This time, no miracle like against Dortmund.
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A terrible observation for a team which aroused enormous expectations with its gala offensive sector. This morning, it's all grimacing and the Madrid press is looking for the culprits of this new evening. The first is obvious: defense. At a press conference and at the microphone of Movistar+Carlo Ancelotti also confided that his team will have difficulty finishing the season with such a crumbly defensive block (9 goals conceded in the last 3 matches). “ It's very difficult to reach the end of the season like this. We're missing something, that's obvious. We have to defend better, that's the key. We cannot return to the situation of tonight. […] We don't defend well, the team is not compact. We must be more compact, more organized. Yes, we conceded many, many chances. » Replaced at half-time, Aurélien Tchouameni, guilty of the first two goals, is also one of the defensive elements most singled out.
«Tchouameni… The first two goals… On the first, he was eaten on the corner. And on the second, he gives it directly to the opponent. We miss Casemiro more and more every day“, said Tomas Roncero. As we indicated to you in recent days, the French midfielder is at the heart of intense criticism in Madrid. The Merengue club thought they had recruited a leader capable of taking control of the midfield in exchange for €80 million. Today, Tchouameni seems to have lost credit with one of his last supporters, Carlo Ancelotti. “ Tchouameni, a deep problem », headlines AS this morning. Asked about his choice to leave the Frenchman in the locker room at the break, Ancelotti assured that his decision was not an individual sanction. “ This is not an individual problem, but a collective problem. It's time to get up, fight and win the next game. » Not sure, however, that the Italian's usual diplomacy will have an effect for long with a Madrid press that has reached the end of its patience with the former Monegasque.
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Where are the stars?
Finally, the other two culprits are criticized both for their offensive and defensive concerns. As is now the custom after each Real Madrid match, Kylian Mbappé once again took it for himself. The captain of the Blues once again took a large number of chances and his performance at number 9 once again did not convince many people. “ Mbappé, score goals! I know you are very good, as it says on your CV! But that’s what we want to see! If you're that good, score against Barça! Three face-to-face encounters which end in the hands of the goalkeeper. I wanted you for these kinds of matches, not to score three goals against Osasuna », blurted the director of AS Tomas Roncero, au micro du Beach bar. Mbappé criticized for his lack of goals, but also not for his total lack of defensive withdrawal, a problem recently raised by Relief.
But yesterday, the Bondynois seemed to have dragged Vinicius Jr into his desire to never come down to help his teammates. Several times, the Brazilian was seen watching the Rossoneri counterattacks without having the desire to sprint. Is he still marked by the Ballon d’Or episode? Possible, but one thing is certain: this Real Madrid will not last long if the two stars up front continue to ignore their defensive tasks. And that's not all. For the star presenter of the Beach barJosep Pedrerol, this Madrid also lacks character. And for him, Vinicius Jr does not have the makings of the status of leader that he has within the Merengue squad.
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« Who came to speak this evening (yesterday)? Lucas Vázquez, because he is the captain and the captain must always come and speak. But the stars must come and speak too. How many times did Vinicius come? Never. Only with Brazil. He's the star, the Ballon d'Or, etc., the team and the fans support him and he never comes. After the 4-0 against Barça, no one came. Leadership is proven in these moments. Mbappé was a leader. But what's going on with him? If he was a leader, he would play wherever he wanted. He would take penalties when he felt like it. If Real Madrid wants to get Mbappé back, they must tell him: “you are in charge. Play wherever you want. » The pressure cooker is seriously whistling in Madrid.
Pub. the 06/11/2024 08:15
– UPDATE 06/11/2024 08:19
