The intensity, with and without the ball. That is the security key that must open Madrid’s football chest, according to the analysis carried out by Carlo Ancelotti two days after the disappointing match in Lille (1-0) and before receiving the third in the League, Villarreal ( 21.00, Movistar), one point behind the whites. The Italian coach’s demand for the players is not new this season, but the football crisis suffered in the European matchday this week after a very fair start to the campaign places the whites at the first asterisked moment of the season. Football pressures Madrid.
“We have agreed that there is a lack of intensity with the ball so that it reaches the forwards faster, and in the defensive aspect,” Carletto said this Friday about the conversations he had had with the locker room in the last few hours. A more agile and dynamic game to connect with the stars above, and grouping better at the back is the solution in the eyes of the coaching staff. That’s as far as Ancelotti’s public claim went, assuring that they are not far from where they want to be. “We are going to find the solutions, sooner or later,” he pointed out. “With such a long unbeaten streak, it seems like you can consider yourself invincible. Sometimes, a defeat reconnects you with reality,” added Carletto, who is recovering from Ceballos’ injury.
Those who will not be at Villarreal due to physical problems are Ayoze Pérez, the second top scorer in the championship (one goal behind Robert Lewandowski’s seven), and Denis Suárez. “We are going with all the ambition, we are good,” warned Marcelino García Toral, the coach of the last team that defeated Madrid at the Bernabéu, a year and a half ago (2-3 on April 8, 2023). Third in the League, these are good times for the yellows. “The team has undergone a major restructuring, with some players who still do not know the language. Everything suggests that we have room for improvement, we will see if it is more or less extensive. The important thing is to have the mentality to seek that growth,” asked Marcelino, who specifically wanted greater security at the back. “With little they score a goal, we have to concede less. We would like to be more effective in our area,” lamented the Asturian, who two weeks ago conceded 1-5 against Barcelona.
The event closes the second block of the season for both before another international break. On the white side, except for the losses of Alaba, Courtois and Brahim, the team has its main references to gauge the response before the first corner. According to Ancelotti, it is all a matter of intensity on both sides of the field. Since the appointment with Villarreal, the hill has gotten steeper for Madrid, because when the national teams return they have to go to Vigo and Valencia, and host Dortmund, Barcelona and Milan. The demand increases and no one hides the need for improvement.
