“This is unfair”, “Enough of this Ancelotti rubbish” - Real Madrid fans furious with 2 players not being included in starting XI vs Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid fans expressed their dissatisfaction on X after manager Carlo Ancelotti left Dani Ceballos and Raul Asencio out of the starting XI to face Rayo Vallecano. The two teams are set to clash at the Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday, December 14.
Ancelloti has named Thibaut Courtois in goal, while Lucas Vasquez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger, and Fran Garcia make up the four-man defence. Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, and Arda Guler are the midfield trio, while Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goe, and Brahim Diaz make up the starting list. Kylian Mbappe does not make the squad list as he is out with a muscle knock. Vinicius Jr, meanwhile, has been named on the bench.
Fans were unhappy with the manager's decision to omit Ascencio and Ceballos from the starting XI against Leganes. Here are some of their reactions on X:
"Asencio dropped again?! This is unfair," one fan posted.
"Enough of this Ancelotti rubbish what kind of Line up is this? Rodrygo is not at his best at least start Vini/Brahim letter on bring Brahim..! Plus what has Raul Asencio done to be on the Bench?" another fan lamented.
"Anceloti has successfully send Asencio to bench," a third fan wrote.
"Asencio getting unfair treatment from Carlo, another tweeted.
"It's time to say goodbye to asencio. Thank you for your service bro," one user added.
One fan opined that Ceballos has been Madrid's best midfielder recently and ought to be starting against Rayo Vallecano.
"Ceballos?? He was our best midfielder in our last 3 matches and now is benched?? Where is asencio too?" the fan commented.
"Where the fok is ceballos," another fan chimed in.
"Why is ceballos not starting?" one fan asked.
"Asencio and Ceballos deserved to start but I hope Modric and Tchouameni prove me wrong. Btw that journalist was actually correct, someone leaked the lineup lol," another fan stated.
Real Madrid will hope to secure three points against Rayo Vallecano. A win will see them leapfrog Barcelona to the top of the table. Los Blancos are in the second position with 36 points while La Blaugrana are atop the standings with 38 points, having played one more match.
Why is Vinicius Jr not starting for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano?
Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr has been dropped to the bench by Carlo Ancelotti for their away clash with Rayo Vallecano. He did not feature in Real Madrid's last three league games due to a muscle injury.
However, the 24-year-old played the entire minutes of the side's UEFA Champions League tie with Atalanta on Tuesday, December 10. He contributed a goal and assist in the 3-2 win over the Serie A outfit.
Thus, the manager's decision to name him on the bench could be more of a tactical call. He will look to give the winger who just returned from the sideline more rest against a weaker opposition.
Vinicius Jr has registered 13 goals and nine assists in 19 games across competitions for Real Madrid this season.