According to reports from Sergi Valentin, Florentino Perez believes that Carlo Ancelotti is the reason Real Madrid are struggling on the field.
The club president is unhappy with several of the manager’s decisions and even went down to the locker room to have a word with the Italian after the team’s draw to Real Betis.
Perez had some advice to give Ancelotti, especially as to the players he wanted to see more of on the field. The Real Madrid supremo is understood to have told the manager that he wants Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio to play a bigger part in games and added that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric should play less.
Such an amalgamation of the administration and management in the world of football does not fare well usually, for the coach is expected to have the freedom to take his own decisions.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Ancelotti saw Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as the backbone of his project. Both midfielders were said to be undisputed starters in all major games.
With Perez now ruling that the duo should be phased out, there seems to be a clear conflict between the president and Ancelotti.
Moreover, given that the Italian tactician has preferred Alvaro Rodriguez over Marco Asensio of late, the topic of the 27-year-old’s inclusion widens the gap between the two parties.
It will be interesting to see whether the coach sticks with his guns or heeds his superior’s commands. Needless to say, his decisions regarding the team selection will have a direct bearing on Real Madrid’s run in the critical weeks that lie ahead.
The Merengues next face Espanyol in La Liga before hosting Liverpool in the second leg of the UCL Round of 16. Thus, there is little time for the team to find their form back.