Carlo Ancelotti hints at new position for Antonio Rudiger after a move from English premier league club Chelsea.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti used Antonio Rudiger in a different position during their friendly matchup with rival Barcelona after the defender joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Chelsea earlier this summer.
After being placed in a new position by manager Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Rudiger made his Real Madrid debut as a left-back.
On Saturday in Las Vegas, Los Blancos lost 1-0 to fierce rivals Barcelona in a heated preseason match. Rudiger made his first Real debut after signing a lucrative four-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu after his Chelsea contract expired in June. Rudiger joined the newly crowned European champions on a free transfer.
The 29-year-old was expected to strengthen Ancelotti’s rearguard by starting at center back, but the Los Blancos manager opted to keep Eder Militao and David Alaba there instead.
After Sergio Ramos moved to Paris Saint-Germain last year, their dependable connection helped Real win a record-tying 14th European championship in May when they defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final.
“I really loved Rudiger,” I said. I’m not insane, and he’s a smart guy “When questioned about the choice after the game, Ancelotti responded.
“He can play there, just as he can switch positions during the match against Alaba. Due to how wonderfully today went, they chose not to. Only use [Alaba] as a left-back if necessary. I don’t want to change the pair last year.
Rudiger has experience in the new position; for Chelsea, he was a standout on the left side of a three-man defense. The Stuttgart-born defender, who has previously played right-back for Germany, appeared to be reasonably at ease down the other wing, but it was Raphinha’s man who gave Barcelona the game’s lone goal.
In the 27th minute, the Brazilian scored a breathtaking long-range goal to demonstrate why Camp Nou officials spent £56 million to get him from Leeds United. Rudiger was subsequently replaced by Ferland Mendy, a left-back by trade, at halftime along with eight other teammates.
Chelsea compensated for the loss of the German by signing Kalidou Koulibaly, the captain of Napoli, who is 31 years old. Manager Thomas Tuchel also said goodbye to another dependable center-back, Andreas Christensen, when the Dane, 26, joined Barcelona, no less. The Blues are looking to replace him with Jules Kounde after Tuchel acknowledged that his team needs to be strengthened before the deadline on September 1.
The Chelsea manager bemoaned that the 4-0 thrashing by London rivals Arsenal in Orlando did not alter his season-long analysis. Sadly, it served to emphasize my thesis.
My claim is supported by the past week. Without a doubt, I would rather be wrong. I tried everything to disprove my own assumptions, but right now I believe I was correct.
“When I think back to the previous season, I see that there were times when we suffered in both the game and the season. We were also penalized, and players left and tried to leave.
Therefore, we made a strong plea for lots of high-caliber players. We have two excellent players, but we lack this level of competition. Sadly, you might see it right now.”
Sadly for Tuchel, it appears like Barcelona is leading the fight to sign France international Kounde from Sevilla, making it even more difficult for new Blues owner Todd Boehly to bring back the glory days at Stamford Bridge.
