Ancelotti's Real Madrid were sick!
And seriously sick at that!
That was the conclusion everyone reached after Real Madrid drew 3–3 with Schalke 04.
After the match, almost all the media unanimously agreed that Ancelotti was the chief culprit behind Real Madrid's failure to win. None of them could understand why Modrić, who had only just recovered from a serious injury, had returned to the starting lineup. Didn't he need some time?
Ancelotti's explanation was that Modrić had been training with the team for some time and had adjusted well during training.
But Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, pointed out in his column that training and actual matches were two different things. For an injured player like Modrić, he should have been brought on as a substitute and allowed to gradually regain his rhythm, rather than being immediately pushed into the starting lineup.
Alfredo believed that Ancelotti was stubborn, even somewhat obsessively determined to prove that his ideas were right. He still hoped to restore the unstoppable, beautiful Real Madrid of the first half of the season.
"He hopes to rebuild the pairing of the two technical double defensive midfielders, Modrić and Toni Kroos, thereby driving Real Madrid's overall attack and restoring the kind of attacking football they played during their twenty-two-game winning streak in the first half of the season. But it's obvious that he gambled and lost!"
Marca also bluntly criticized Ancelotti, believing that he was losing the trust of the Bernabéu and even Real Madrid's dressing room.
"Modrić's return is certainly a reason for happiness, but Ancelotti's stubbornness is difficult to comprehend. With Mascherano and Illarramendi both performing steadily, why did he insist on bringing back the technical double defensive midfielders?"
"Even against Schalke 04, he still refused to bring on a defensive midfielder until the final