Real Madrid managed to edge past 2-1 in its opening La Liga 2022-23 game against Almeria away from home on Sunday. However, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with the youngsters.
Defending champion Real Madrid is off to a winning start in the 2022-23 La Liga. On Sunday, it faced off against Almeria in an away tie, registering a slender 2-1 win. While Largie Ramazani (6) put the hosts ahead, the visitors struck back in the second half, thanks to strikes from Lucas Vázquez (61) and David Alaba (75). However, the performance was not a convincing one from Los Blancos. At the same time, it did not impress its head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who felt that the youngsters did not play to their full potential, urging them to honour and play for the jersey they don, which is a heavy one.
"For me, [Antonio] Rudiger played a good game. The youngsters didn't play like they usually do. For what they do in training, they deserve to play. They haven't done anything wrong, but they can do better. They are young, and their shirt is heavy. It is a toll we pay, but we pay it with pleasure," Ancelotti told Movistar.
"I removed [Eduardo] Camavinga because he had a card and could be dangerous in a team that played on the break. It was normal to suffer because we've complicated the game with a defensive error. From then on, it has cost us a lot," added Ancelotti. Also, Vinicius Junior continued his brilliance, while the Italian backed him to feature regularly hereon, despite being uncertain about his playing position.
"I don't know [about Vinicius's playing position]. I have to think about it. [Eden] Hazard is a midfielder. We have to bear in mind that Vini likes the wing. Today, he tried to find many of the right central defenders, where the spaces were tiny. When Hazard came on, he was good, he's training well, and I think he's going to have minutes this season," Ancelotti concluded.
