The first time that the name of Carlo Ancelotti appeared in danger this season was before receiving Osasuna, in November. Madrid came from falling 0-4 against Barcelona and 1-3 with Milan, and that afternoon the coach saved her with a 4-0. However, he left the Bernabéu with a lament and a warning: “As we do not sign, we are going to hit it,” he still told the people of the stadium to the people who accompanied him after seeing that Éder Militão had broken the crusader again, the second time in a year. The team had already lost Dani Carvajal for the same injury and, as in the previous summer and in January 2024, two months later the winter market opened and Madrid continued without arriving at anyone for the rear. Raúl Asencio broke up and with that he had to fix Carletto.
This Tuesday, in the midst of the drip of information about the future of the coach, Valdebebas suffered a storm of medical misfortunes that exposed all the pending work of the club in such a symbolic moment in the preparation of the staff, especially in defense, beyond what happens with the bench. Antonio Rüdiger, before knowing the six penalty games for the Cup final, operated on a meniscus after seven months with pains and will be about two out; Ferland Mendy spliced an injury with another and would not return until next season; And David Alaba disappeared again for six and eight weeks due to a meniscus break from the same left knee of the crusader.
Carletto only has a pure central (Asencio) that in summer did not appear in the plans and is still aware of the trial in which the young man is investigated for allegedly spreading a sexual video with a minor. The rear is completed by a overflowing right side (Lucas Vázquez); a left side (Fran García) that had fallen to the fourth option; a postpicit plant (tchouameni) pited several times by the Bernabéu; and a central (Jesús Vallejo) that adds 10 minutes. The young Jacobo Ramón, with only a stressful night copera in Leganés, could return to the scene.
The precariousness is maximum, but when everyone recovers the panorama, it would not be very flattering: militão (27 years) adds two crusade breaks in a row, Rüdiger (32) has squeezed the last two campaigns, the recovery of the best Carvajal (33) is an unknown, praise (32) will have accumulated more than a year and a half away from the maximum level, and the history of Mendy (29) says that the history of Mendy (29) The equivalent of almost a course and a half due to injuries has been lost since 2019.
In the offices they seem to have assumed that they have stretched the rope more than desirable and study the market. The right side of Liverpool Trent Alexander-Arnold, more agitator than a bolt, would already be closed. Ancelotti learned months ago the intentions of the club to seek reinforcements behind, although he has been the management of “the emergency” -so he has solved the shortage -, with the great doubt of whether the possible signings would be for him or his successor.
Madrid does not disburse money for a defense since the summer of 2019, when it bought Militão for 50 million (the most expensive defender of the club) already Mendy, for 48. Since then, the acquisitions behind have been players that were free, such as Rüdiger and Alaba, plus the repetitive of the Fran Garcia quarry from the Ray for five million. The performance of the German and Austrian has been optimal, examples of good operations according to market opportunities, and the probable acquisition of Alexander-Arnold would be framed in this type of purchases. However, this economic containment for the rear contrasts with the purchases of the center of the field forward.
While for defense Madrid has paid a little more than 100 million in transfers in the last six campaigns (not counting the signing premiums from which they arrived free), according to the Transfermarkt portal, in the middle and the front the figure is triggered above 550 million (Mbappé would be left out of the calculation because he had finished his contract with the PSG). This disproportion has not avoided him, however, the general feeling that the medullary investments have not been enough to cover the Kroos hole.
The Fetén defensive line in the eyes of Carlo Ancelotti was Carvajal-Rüdiger-Militão-Mindy, but he has only been able to align it in six of the 57 meetings because of the injuries. The best alternative for the right side is a medium (Valverde) and on the left, for the final of the Cup, a pivot (Camavinga) pointed out, which was also injured. Holes pending solving.
