The Italian has reminded his players of what happened last season with a painful 0-4 loss for coming off relaxed
He will not give up the ball, with long possessions, nor will he give up the low block when Barça has it to go on the counterattack
El Clásico is always a different game. The rivalry and the level of the players minimize the situation in which each team arrives at the match. Last season it happened at the Bernabéuwhere Madrid was the clear favorite with a 15-point advantage over Barça in the League and the match finished 0-4 with Barça bath. Ancelotti has reminded the players of him, warning them that he is now the leadership of the League is at stake and they play in front of their fans, who has not forgotten what happened and who questioned the continuity of the Italian. He was able to overcome the embarrassment by winning the League and then the Champions League, which erased all traces of that painful defeat.
The current situation has a certain resemblance after Barça’s puncture in the Champions League, although in the League it is another story and they will defend the leadership in the merengue field. To avoid it, Ancelotti already has a game plan to face the Barça potential. Initially, think Xavi’s will be more dangerous of what you can think of getting injured, and they will want to recover the self-esteem in the field of their maximum rival. No credit of the alleged crisis and wants his team on high alert to try to add the three points.
THE KEYS TO THE GAME
Ancelotti plans a flexible game idea against Xavi’s team. On the one hand, he wants long possessions and intersperse them with direct and counterattack play.. You know they’re going to have to defend in many moments of the match in low block. That will give them the chance to exploit their speed to go on the attack with Valverde and Vinicius accompanied by Benzema. Will fight for control of the ball with a midfield where they will be Kroos and Modricwho this season have only met in four of the thirteen games played by the whites.
Ancelotti wants Barça to also suffer chasing the ball and that you are not comfortable. He learned from last season’s 0-4, in which his team faced the game too relaxed. That’s why, calls for tension and maximum concentration throughout the match. He wants it to be another story because they are playing to be leaders of the League. Also wait to the Bernabéu roars again to push the team like in the big afternoons, but he knows that the best way to activate the stands is by playing well and hurting Barcelona.