Perez holds this player responsible for the loss against Barcelona and begins communicating with Ancelotti’s replacement
Barcelona achieved a remarkable victory over their rivals Real Madrid, winning 4-0 in the Spanish League Clasico. Although Kylian Mbappé scored two goals for Madrid, they were disallowed due to offside. With this win, Barcelona now has 30 points, placing them at the top of the league, while Real Madrid sits in second with 24 points.
According to the Spanish newspaper “Defensa Central,” coach Carlo Ancelotti was extremely frustrated after the match, directing much of his anger toward Mbappé for his disappointing performance. Ancelotti criticized Mbappé for missing key scoring opportunities, expressing regret for not substituting him.
The coach’s ire extended to Lucas Vazquez and Tchouameni, whom he also blamed for their poor showing. Ancelotti has decided to exclude both players from upcoming matches, as he feels they can’t fill the gap on the right side of the team.
After the game, club president Pérez confronted Ancelotti in the locker room, holding him accountable for the heavy defeat. Pérez was particularly upset that Ancelotti did not substitute Mbappé despite his lackluster play, emphasizing that managing star players requires strength and decisiveness.
The newspaper highlighted that Pérez was particularly upset about Modrić not starting, prompting him to demand an urgent explanation from Ancelotti regarding the decision, especially given Modrić’s strong recent performances. Pérez instructed that Tchouameni, Lucas Vazquez, and Mendy be excluded from the lineup in upcoming matches due to their poor displays against Barcelona.
Furthermore, Pérez confronted Kylian Mbappé, questioning him directly: “What is happening to you? Are you the player we know or just a shadow of him?” He also discussed with a board member the possibility of selling Tchouameni and Mendy, believing there was no future for them at the club after this match.
In conclusion, Pérez decided to hold off on making any definitive moves about replacing Ancelotti until he could assess the team’s performance in the upcoming matches, with Xabi Alonso being the top candidate for the role next season.