Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has criticized Eder Militao for his performance in Tuesday’s (2 May) La Liga defeat to Real Sociedad.
Reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on Tuesday night. Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea scored in the second half to inflict defeat upon 10-man Los Blancos on La Liga matchday 33.
Los Merengues’ defenders were below par at Sociedad, with Militao, in particular, cutting a frustrating figure. Under pressure from Alexander Sorloth in the 47th minute, Militao slipped and then played a wayward back pass to Thibaut Courtois. The pass, hit with too much power, escaped Courtois at the near post, leading to a simple tap-in from former Madrid man Kubo at the far end.
After the game, Ancelotti criticized Militao’s performance, asking him to fix his act. When asked to comment on Militao’s display against Sociedad, Ancelotti said (via MARCA):
“He has to wake up, soon.”
Militao also reacted poorly during the build-up of Real Sociedad’s second goal. The centre-back did not come to Lucas Vazquez’s aid when Barrenetxea was tussling with him, instead standing quietly in an awkward position. The right-back then proceeded to cut inside before finding the near-bottom corner of Courtois’ goal with a powerful drive.
Real Madrid have three days to recover from this setback, as they are scheduled to take on Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday night (6 May). On Tuesday (9 May), they will take on Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid lacked penetration and drive in the defeat to Real Sociedad
Playing without Karim Benzema (rested) and Vinicius Junior (suspended) against Real Sociedad, Los Blancos did not exude the calmness required to overcome such a worthy opponent. Most of their shots were speculative and they struggled to link up in the final third.
They also did not have Luka Modric and Federico Valverde (both injured), leading to a stale midfield performance. Aurelien Tchouameni looked confident in the middle but both Toni Kroos and Dani Ceballos were out of ideas.
Things turned from bad to worse for Real Madrid in the 61st minute, when Dani Carvajal saw a second yellow for a poor tackle on Aihen Munoz. The players vehemently protested but the referee’s decision was already set in stone by then. A combination of poor defending, a red card, and unfortunate absences saw the Whites produce a lethargic and sub-par performance at Sociedad.
