"Our only weak link on the first leg and he is starting him again" - Fans react to Real Madrid star's inclusion in XI for Manchester City clash
Real Madrid fans online are not happy with Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to include defender Ferland Mendy in the starting XI for their clash against Manchester City. The two sides are set to face off in the second leg of the Champions League playoffs at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, February 19.
It’s advantage Real Madrid ahead of tonight’s highly anticipated clash as the Spanish giants secured a 3-2 victory over Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad Stadium.
Ferland Mendy, who has started every Champions League match that he has been eligible to play for Los Blancos this season, was deployed at left-back in the first leg. However, the Frenchman had a poor outing and was criticized by Los Blancos supporters.
Real Madrid’s starting lineup for the second leg has been released, which includes Mendy.
The decision to include the Frenchman in the starting XI did not sit well with some Los Blancos fans, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their displeasure at the tactical setup. An X user wrote:
''Mendy was our only weak link on the first leg and he is starting him again…''
Another tweeted:
''Ffs why is mendy starting for my team''
''Why you put mendy in the lineup'' @Wilson1Grande wrote.
''Mendy over Fran Garcia'' @___nothing02 wrote
''Perfect, except for Ferland Mendy'' @ZRejuvenated added
''I just don’t trust Mendy bro," @h_u_l_l_y__ wrote.
''It will be an entertaining, complicated and challenging game'' – Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League clash
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti analyzed the second leg of the Champions League playoff with Manchester City. Speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Ancelotti anticipated an "entertaining, complicated and challenging" game.
The Italian manager said (via the club’s website):
"It will be an entertaining, complicated and challenging game. We have tried to prepare well and we want to get the players back who can help us. We're going to try to approach the game in the same way we did a week ago. We'll take into account the difficulty of this type of game, a tie where we risk everything in 90 minutes."
Prior to the match, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had said that his side has 1% chance of making it to the Round of 16 after their 3-2 loss at the Etihad. Ancelotti, however, doesn’t agree with the Spaniard gaffer and said Los Blancos don't have a 99% chance of qualifying.
"I don't think Guardiola thinks he has a 1% chance of going through. Tomorrow before the game I'm going to ask him, but he thinks he has more, as is only fair. We don't think we have 99%, but that we have a small advantage and we must take the opportunity to try to play the same game as in the first leg, where we did well."