Real Betis defeat to alter Real Madrid plans ahead of major clashes

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti looked frustrated after Los Blancos’ defeat to Real Betis on Saturday night, but there was also an equally concerning familiarity. The Italian manager questioned the attitude of his side, and the performance could have consequences.

Los Blancos were beaten by the better side at the Benito Villamarin, who forced Betis deep to defend late on, but did not work Adrian sufficiently in the closing stages. It has been reported that the main concern at Real Madrid was the attitude shown by the star-studded line-up.

“Attitude and commitment,” were two of the reasons behind their defeat cited by Ancelotti to Diario AS after the game. All the teams are running and we have not known how to do the same. This game must serve as a wake-up call. It’s a lesson…”

“It seemed that in recent times the team was much more organised and compact, and against Betis we did not know how to do it,” Ancelotti continued, with the intention of sending a strong message to his players. Real Madrid have now suffered eight defeats this season, compared to just two in the entirety of last year. In addition, they have taken just five points from their last five La Liga games.

Relevo say that while Ancelotti had been planning for David Alaba to return to the starting line-up against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and more generally for the decisive games coming in the final three months of the season. However Alaba looked short of sharpness, albeit so did Antonio Rudiger, and it means that Raul Asencio will be back in the defence on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu. They also point out that Real Madrid’s last three defeats – against Barcelona, Espanyol and Betis – have all coincided with the absence of Asencio.

It also looks as if Fede Valverde will make it back for the derby clash against Atletico Madrid too, with Lucas Vazquez’s defensive frailties evident against Betis once again. Ancelotti will still be without two of his key midfielders though, with Jude Bellingham suspended, and Dani Ceballos likely out injured until May. Both represent problems for Ancelotti to solve.