Ahead of this afternoon’s trip to lowly Levante, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is facing up to a mini-crisis in defence.
With Sergio Ramos ruled out due to a calf injury which could also make him miss Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Liverpool, fellow centre-back Raphael Varane has been struck down by a bout of flu.
Those absences will force Ancelotti into fielding a makeshift partnership of Nacho and Pepe at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium today.
But after seeing his side concede just two goals in their last four games, the Los Blancos boss believes they have put the defensive frailties evident in the earlier weeks of the season firmly behind them.
Rather than individual errors, Ancelotti argued the bigger issue was a breakdown in the team’s defensive system, saying: “We paid the price for a lack of concentration. We also didn’t have the optimum physical condition because we didn’t have time to train normally before the season. That’s been fixed and now we have to continue as we are.”
Karim Benzema has also been affected by the same virus as fellow Frenchman Varane, but Isco will have another chance to show his versatility as he starts either in midfield or attack, with Javier Hernandez the other candidate to replace directly Benzema.
“Isco had a magnificent game for his international team [Spain under 21s] and he will play,” added the Italian, whose selection decisions are further complicated by late returns from international duty for his South American contingent.
He added: “We’ll have to see if James Rodriguez can play because he only arrived in the morning after travelling through the night.
“We’ll have to see if he has recuperated well. I still haven’t decided who will replace Benzema – it could be Javier Hernandez or it could be a midfielder.”
But Ancelotti has ruled out repositioning Cristiano Ronaldo – the league’s leading scorer with 13 goals this season – a man he described as “easily” the best forward in the league, in a more central role.
“We haven’t discussed that because it’s not something we need to talk about,” he said.
“Cristiano isn’t going to change position even though he has the quality to play there. The idea isn’t to change his position. He plays on the left.”
Ancelotti could also be boosted by the return of German midfielder Sami Khedira, who has been named in the squad after missing more than a month with a knee injury.
Khedira may make his comeback from the bench and Ancelotti said: “He has recovered well and is physically ready to play, but he’s not in condition to start a game yet after being out for 40 days.”
Today’s opponents Levante have made a slow start to the season and come into the game just one point and one place clear of the relegation zone, having been denied victory in frustrating fashion in their last outing as they conceded an injury time leveller to draw 3-3 at Eibar.
The Valencia-based team have lost all three of their home games, scoring no goals and conceding nine, and manager Jose Luis Mendilibar is setting his sights low.
“I would settle for a draw,” he admitted. “I’m not crazy. They can kill you on the counter-attack. We know that but that doesn’t mean we can stop them.”
