“Needed for their high line”, “Should’ve started” - Real Madrid fans unhappy with midfielder being on the bench for El Clasico vs Barcelona
Real Madrid fans on social media are not pleased with the decision to bench legendary midfielder Luka Modric for their LaLiga match against Barcelona. Both sides are set for the first El Clasico clash of the season, which will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu today (October 26).
Barcelona will look to consolidate their spot at the top of the table with a win over Real Madrid, especially with the Blaugrana in brilliant form. They have scored 33 goals in 10 league games and sit three points ahead of Los Blancos, who are in second place with 24 points.
Madrid have the advantage of playing at home, as well as an impressive defense that has conceded just seven goals in 10 games. However, rather than depend on Luka Modric for this match, manager Carlo Ancelotti has decided on a midfield quartet of Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Modric has been a regular in their LaLiga campaign this season, participating in all 10 games, starting five, and racking up two assists. Fans believe the 39-year-old might have been a game-changer if he was handed another start against Barca.
They are unhappy to see him on the bench, and they have made this clear with comments on social media platform X:
"Modric should start over Cama I have my reasons," a fan said.
"Wanted modric to start but oh well." another agreed.
"We need Modric TBH!" a third claimed.
"Naa Modric should’ve started," a fourth concluded.
"Modric is needed for their high line and press i stand by this statement," this fan argued.
"We have our best passer on the bench when we are playing a high line opponent? Seriously?" another fan agreed.
"This is a game Modric should be starting. You need to control the ball more. You need some technique in the midfield and these 4 can’t do that!" this fan was not pleased.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti shares thoughts ahead of highly-anticipated clash against Barcelona
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has shared his thoughts on their upcoming El Clasico match. The Blaugrana are riding high on an impressive wave of form, but the Los Blancos manager stated that it does not keep him up at night.
In an interview with the press, he said (via Reuters):
"Fortunately, at the moment nobody keeps me awake at night. (Barcelona) are doing very well. But in a match like the Clasico it's very difficult to pick a favourite beforehand.
"It depends on the dynamics of the match. It's a matter of how you are able to handle the pressure, to deal with the tempo and how to identify the moments of the match..."
Real Madrid have yet to lose a league match this season, winning seven and drawing three. They will need to maintain that statistic in this game if they are to keep chasing after the pole position.