In a press conference before the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, Carlo Ancelotti discussed the qualities of Raúl Asensio, the young defender who has impressed everyone since his promotion to the first team.
Real Madrid will travel to Anoeta to face Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final this Wednesday. After the final training session on Tuesday, which almost turned disastrous for Vinícius Júnior, the Madrid manager addressed the media to clarify some key points regarding the team. After reassuring everyone about the fitness of Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé, who missed Tuesday’s training due to a dental issue, Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to comment on Raúl Asensio.
“I was wrong”
While everyone is pleased with the return of David Alaba to the first team after over 400 days of absence, the Madrid press wanted to know more about the future of Raúl Asensio. In front of the media, Carlo Ancelotti was asked to clarify whether the 21-year-old defender would lose his place due to supposed technical weaknesses, which he himself mentioned a few days ago. To everyone’s surprise, the Italian coach backtracked and admitted that he was wrong to mention the defender’s technical weakness, especially given his high performances in recent weeks.
“If I said Asensio had a technical weakness, I was wrong. He is young, and we work with him like we do with all the young players from the academy,” Don Carlo initially stated. “The young players learn a lot. We haven’t worked with him on the technical side, but on the tactical side. Sometimes, aggression is not the best thing to do, especially in the penalty area. You can give away a penalty. But we’ve worked on that, and he’s doing very well. Raúl has been a surprise for everyone, really. For me too,” he concluded.
This statement should reassure the young defender, who is likely to play an important role in the team for the second half of the season. Despite the return of experienced David Alaba, Raúl Asensio is expected to continue playing in central defence. At the end of the season, he will be offered a new contract, including a significant salary increase and a higher release clause. Even though Éder Militão will also return next season, the young rock will be a serious contender for a starting spot given his phenomenal performances.
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