"I totally agree with his anger" - Ancelotti opens up on Real Madrid star's angry reaction on the bench in 4-1 Mallorca win
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that he understands Marco Asensio's anger upon not being substituted in during their match against Mallorca today (Sunday, September 11).
The Spaniard was seen throwing away his bib and kicking the ground near the dugout in the 70th minute after realizing he wasn't going to play again.
He's been a marginal figure in the side this season, seeing only seven minutes of action in La Liga as Ancelotti clearly doesn't see him in his plans.
Largo de aquí @marcoasensio10 https://t.co/vimcggw8nP
However, the Italian was empathetic towards him during the press conference and said he understands his frustrations.
He said (via Marca):
"The reality is that I wanted to make the two changes. We were preparing if we didn't make it 2-1, put Mariano and Asensio in. Lucas was injured and we only had one window, and I didn't think about making that change.
"Yes he's angry, I agree with him. It's normal, it means he wants to play, to feel important. In this period he has been the most affected player in the squad and I take that into account. I totally agree with his anger, nothing happens."
Asensio was training on the sidelines as Ancelotti looked to throw in a few substitutes with the game still locked at 1-1. However, the Spain international instead returned to the dugout rather furiously, making no secret of his ire.
The winger is into the final year of his contract with Real Madrid and is widely touted to leave next summer on a free transfer. Clubs like Arsenal, AC Milan and Manchester United are said to be interested in acquiring the player.
Real Madrid continued winning start with 4-1 drubbing of Mallorca
Real Madrid overcame Mallorca 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier today to continue their winning start to the season.
After struggling to find their attacking best in the opening period, Los Blancos found their feet after the break.
Federico Valverde canceled out Vedat Muriqi's opener for the visitors just moments before the half-time whistle before Vinicius Junior put them in the lead in the 72nd minute. Rodrygo and Antonio Rudiger added gloss to the scoresheet late on.
FT: REAL MADRID 4-1 MALLORCA
• TOP OF LA LIGA 🏆
• 5 WINS OUT OF 5
🔥 🔥 🔥 https://t.co/xVSKmdiu17
The Spanish champions are the only side in Europe's top five leagues with a 100% win record so far, while also having won both their European games.
Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup in August. They also started their Champions League campaign last Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Celtic.
Los Blancos will next play RB Leipzig at home in Europe on Wednesday (September 14) followed by a Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.