This Sunday’s match against Barça will be Ancelotti‘s last important game in charge of Real Madrid. In recent days, an agreement has been reached for his departure from the club, and it is expected to be made official in the coming days so that the Santiago Bernabéu can say goodbye to a coach who has given so much but who has burned his bridges and had a disappointing season.
The future does not look bleak for Real Madrid, which is already looking forward to Xabi Alonso, a coach who has excited Madrid fans and who will have a lot of work ahead of him. Off the pitch, he will have decisions to make about signings and departures from the squad. On the sporting front, he will have to prove which system works with the squad he puts together and will have to deal with the complicated legacy left by Ancelotti.
Physical wear and tear, something to improve in the Xabi Alonso era
As we said, the arrival of Xabi Alonso will bring changes. His arrival will be accompanied by modifications both at the tactical level, where changes are expected with respect to what Ancelotti has been doing, as well as improvements in physical aspects to avoid the many injuries that have been a major burden this season.
The injuries were largely due to the excessive minutes Ancelotti gave to several of his players, as he failed to put his trust in many of the young talents Carletto had on the bench. The coach had a very recognizable starting eleven that played most of the games and big matches of the season. Between games, Ancelotti has made a maximum of 3.86 changes, which means that almost eight players have been untouchable for the Italian coach.
There are up to six players in the Real Madrid squad with more than 3,900 minutes played: Courtois (4,020), Rüdiger (4,101), Bellingham (3,989), Valverde (4,582), Tchouaméni (4,005), Vinicius (3,962), and Mbappé (4,188). All of them have played whenever they have been available. The case of Rüdiger is surprising, as he played for more than seven months with pain until he had to undergo surgery on his shattered knee.
Right now, Real Madrid’s infirmary is full to the brim with Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Mendy, Alaba, Rüdiger, and Camavinga. It’s a high number, but throughout the season, practically the entire starting lineup has missed at least one game due to injury in a team that has issued more than 60 medical reports this season.
It is therefore crucial that Xabi Alonso has a complete and competitive squad with key and important starters, but where no one is indispensable. A squad that allows for rotation and does not overload players with minutes. In addition, the physical aspect of training will have to be worked on to avoid the many injuries that the team has suffered this season.