He knows Ancelotti that with what was happening in LaLiga, his future was in the goal wire. And that is why the clash against Barcelona was so delicate. And the Italian, who knows everything or almost everything, also knew that in moments of maximum stress, it is best not to move. So he pissed off many Real Madrid fans on the networks when he returned to bet on Modric and Kroos, in the middle, but accompanied by Valverde and Rodrygo and Camavinga on the left wing. «I have tried in the lineup to mix the energy of Rodrygo, Valverde and Camavinga with the experience of Modric and Kroos. It is very important so that the legs do not tremble when they press us. The two have played a spectacular game”, he explained after the game, which is what he has tried to do throughout the season, but not always with success: experience and youth and that the team that wins the European Cup comes out of the mix. and from La Liga. What happens is that sometimes the experience seemed more like old age and youth, lack of ideas. But when it goes well, Real Madrid thrashes at the Camp Nou. “What I am most proud of is that the boiler has returned to temperature and when we are at temperature we do it well,” said the coach after the game at the Camp Nou.
Because after the win in Valladolid and at the Camp Nou, it seems that Real Madrid has once again found the hallmarks with which it swept LaLiga last season and with which it felt immortal in the Champions League, despite everything turned against him. The mix of two generations and two ways of playing was essential, but also the recovery of key footballers, who until now had not been at the spectacular level of the previous season.
Goal by Courtois
Real Madrid’s first goal, before the break and The one that changed everything at the Camp Nou was made by Benzema and Vinicius, but the one who started it was Courtois, with one of those Champions League saves with which Real Madrid went through the qualifying rounds. They are “stops”, as he used to describe them, which definitely change the course of the game. He has never been seen as clearly as at the Camp Nou.
“Small details have determined the match. The great detail of the first goal, which was fantastic, determined the second half”, Ancelotti said honestly. And it all started because the Real Madrid goalkeeper stopped Barcelona’s most dangerous shot on goal throughout the game. “From the beginning of the second half, with the 0-2 scoreline, they were somewhat afraid,” the tall Real Madrid goalkeeper explained after the game. In reality, Barcelona is eliminated without having scored a goal against Courtois: in the first leg, the goal was scored by the white team in their own goal.
Lethal partnership: Benzema-Vinicius
Up to four times Real Madrid’s Twitter wrote messages in which only the word was read. “Hello” and a photo of Karim Benzema and Vinicius, the company that gave Madrid success not many months ago and that could not be found during this season, mainly because Karim was not in his best form. But against Valladolid he scored three goals and repeated the number against Barcelona. ORno pass from Modric, another from a penalty to Vinicius and another from a pass from the Brazilian. The previous goal that Vini had scored was thanks to an assist from Benzema. When the spaces arrive, they are infallible. “Is incredible. I don’t care how many goals I score. He is a reference for all and an example. Real Madrid’s goalscorer, the Ballon d’Or and whenever he is on the field we have to try to get the most out of it and enjoy it,” Valverde said after the match.
One of the great surprises of last year was discovering how well two footballers with such different characters related to each other. Calm in Benzema and all nerve in Vinicius, two styles and two generations of footballers who did not hit. But they found the thread and now, in the crucial stretch of the season, with Chelsea waiting, they have come together again. «The work of the break has helped Benzema a lot. He has found the optimal condition and with the quality that he has makes the difference », said Ancelotti.
The future
May 6 is the Cup final against Osasuna, so, with LaLiga so complicated, Real Madrid already has a clear objective for which to continue improving and not disengage. He wasn’t going to do it anyway because in the next two weeks the pass to the semifinals of the Champions League against Chelsea is played. But it is not the same to do it after having been eliminated by Barcelona, than to do it after taking over the Camp Nou with your most recognizable version.