Carlo Ancelotti asserted that Real Madrid‘s squad possesses the resilience to navigate an injury crisis, which has sidelined several key players.
Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão have been absent since August due to ACL tears, while Vinícius Júnior and Eduardo Camavinga, the latest casualties, are expected to miss action until January.
Other setbacks include Aurélien Tchouaméni’s broken metatarsal, Arda Güler’s delayed debut due to a hamstring problem, Jude Bellingham’s dislocated shoulder, and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s hamstring issue.
“These injuries have affected us a bit, but this squad is well constructed,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga game with Cadiz. “We’ve been competitive without Militao, Courtois, Vinicius and Bellingham.
“We have all the confidence in the world. We see this as an opportunity to show how good we are, and how good the other players in this squad are.”
Ancelotti attributed the high number of injuries to a congested fixture schedule. Despite challenges in the midfield with Tchouameni and Camavinga sidelined, Ancelotti expressed contentment with the available alternatives.
Regarding his future, with a contract until June 2024, Ancelotti remained open to waiting until the last day to learn about Madrid’s decision, amid ongoing speculation linking him to the Brazil national team job.
“It’s a calendar that can’t continue,” he said. “We have this problem and it will get worse, we have a World Cup with more games, a Champions League with more games. The only solution is to reduce the number of games. But I’ve never heard a players’ union say something.
“If they cut the number of games, it would be good. It would reduce the number of injuries and improve the spectacle. I’ve seen games in this international break which finished 8-0, 14-0. I don’t know if that makes a lot of sense.”
Additionally, reports from ESPN suggest Real Madrid is keeping an eye on former player Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen as a potential future manager.
