"His anger made his attitude improve" - Carlo Ancelotti lauds Real Madrid star's impact in 2-0 win against RB Leipzig
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has credited Marco Asensio's 'anger' for his impact in Los Blancos' UEFA Champions League (UCL) win over RB Leipzig.
Asensio came on in the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu with the match still goalless but left the pitch with a goal to his name in a 2-0 victory for Madrid.
The Spaniard has struggled for game time this season, having played just 43 minutes of football across competitions, including the Leipzig win. He was linked with a summer exit, with Arsenal reportedly the front-runners for his signature, but eventually stayed put at Madrid.
What a cross by Kroos and what a finish by Asensio 🤩
https://t.co/1rol7UkQcR
Ancelotti was happy with Asensio's performance in the match, highlighting his improved attitude in recent training sessions as the reason behind the improved outing.
“Happy, he has had minutes and has fulfilled. I think he needed this goal. At first he was hesitant to leave or stay, but he has stayed and we were all happy,” Ancelotti said after the match (via AS).
The Los Blancos boss added:
“I congratulated Asensio, he was decisive in winning. His anger made his attitude improve in subsequent training sessions,” the Real Madrid manager added.
Reason behind Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio's 'anger'
Asensio, who only has a year remaining on his current contract with Real Madrid, was reportedly courted by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United this summer. He eventually chose to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu but has struggled to get game time so far.
He was asked to warm up ahead of a potential substitution in Madrid's 4-1 league win over Mallorca last weekend with the scoreline at 1-1. But as Los Blancos took the lead, Ancelotti decided against bringing Asensio on, forcing an angry reaction from the winger.
Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio threw an angry strop after Carlo Ancelotti decided not to bring him on during their 4-1 victory over Mallorca https://t.co/VW4ofuhW9q
When asked about the incident following the win, the Madrid boss explained (via 90min):
“The reality is that I wanted to make the two changes. We were preparing, if we didn't make it 2-1, to put Mariano and Asensio in. Lucas [Vazquez] was injured and we only had one window, and I didn't think about making that change."
Ancelotti added:
“He’s (Asensio) angry and I agree with him. It's normal, it means he wants to play, to feel important. In this period, he has been the player most affected in the squad and I take that into account. I'm totally in agreement with his anger. It's fine.”