Madrid boss Ancelotti defends Isco substitution

Andy West 07:38 03/03/2015
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  • Isco has been a central figure for Real Madrid this season

    Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has defended his decision to replace Isco during the latter stages of Sunday’s draw with Villarreal after the substitution was loudly whistled by Bernabeu supporters who wanted the fan-favourite midfielder to stay on the pitch.

    Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw, narrowing the gap to secondplaced Barcelona to two points, and the main talking point following the encounter was Ancelotti’s move to introduce defensive midfielder Asier Illarramendi for the highly popular Isco with 12 minutes remaining.

    The Italian coach had brought on attacker Jese Rodriguez for midfielder Lucas Silva a few minutes earlier, and he explained that the benching of Isco was an attempt to retain the shape of the team as they pressed for a late winner against a Villarreal outfit which frequently showed their counter-attacking ability.

    “A manager is there on the sidelines and has to make changes because he believes it is best for the team,” Ancelotti said. “If the fans don’t understand then I’m sorry, but I made the decision to give the team more balance in the centre of the field.”

    Ancelotti also refused to criticise his team too heavily despite seeing them drop La Liga points at home for the first time since September’s defeat to Atletico Madrid, pointing out that they created plenty of chances to win.

    “We had a lot of chances and [Villarreal keeper Sergio] Asenjo made good saves,” he said. “We had 24 shots and only seven on target, but we were unlucky with our finishing.”

    Cristiano Ronaldo's goal was not enough for Real Madrid to secure victory

    The Italian did admit, however, that his team were below their best in the opening period, although he refused to accept that their sluggish start was the result of physical tiredness.

    “We had difficulties with the tempo and in finding an attacking solution other than a cross, but we are used to preparing for three matches in a week and the team worked well this week,” he acknowledged. “The game didn’t turn out well but it wasn’t a physical problem.”

    Ancelotti was also keen to credit a bright performance from sixthplaced Villarreal, who will be back in action tomorrow night as they attempt to overturn a 3-1 first leg deficit against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

    Having also progressed to the last sixteen of the Europa League, the Yellow Submarine are enjoying an excellent season on all fronts and an impressed Ancelotti said: “Villarreal are very well organised, have a clear plan and always play a quality game. They have a great identity on the pitch.”

    Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone insisted he was not disappointed with his team’s goalless draw against Sevilla despite dropping more points in their bid to retain the title.

    Simeone has routinely claimed that his team’s biggest goal this season is securing third place ahead of Sevilla and Valencia, and he said: “It was a good point in a difficult place to play. Let me say it again: Sevilla are our direct rivals in La Liga.”

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