In a press conference ahead of the first leg of the Champions League play-offs against Manchester City in England, Carlo Ancelotti revealed the whole truth about Jesús Vallejo, who has not played a single minute despite the numerous injuries in defence.
Real Madrid are set to play one of their two biggest matches of the season this Tuesday. After navigating a difficult Champions League group stage, Los Blancos will attempt to overcome Manchester City in hopes of reaching the round of 16. Ahead of the first leg of this showdown between the two most recent winners of UEFA’s premier club competition, Carlo Ancelotti made several revelations to the press. Most questions revolved around the state of his defence, which has been severely weakened due to injuries to key players like Rüdiger, Alaba, and Lucas Vázquez. The Madrid coach clarified Jesús Vallejo’s situation.
Ancelotti’s explanation on Vallejo
Indeed, within Real Madrid’s squad this season, the 28-year-old defender has played the least. With just about ten minutes of game time against Alavés in La Liga, Jesús Vallejo has seen reserve team youngsters surpass him in the pecking order despite being a first-team player. When asked about the Spanish defender’s situation, Carlo Ancelotti provided a rather unexpected explanation that conceals the full truth:
“Vallejo trains well, but his contract expires this summer, and I prefer to give chances to the younger players.”
This is a diplomatic response, avoiding the harsh reality of Vallejo’s status. A Real Madrid player since 2015, Jesús Vallejo has never managed to establish himself. Over ten seasons, the defender has only played 32 matches. Often criticised for being too soft in his style of play for a defender, he has never convinced.
Vallejo’s cruel fragility
This season, the only match in which he featured nearly ended in disaster for Real Madrid, who had been leading 3-0. Instead of solidifying the defence upon his introduction, Vallejo completely destabilised the team, allowing Alavés to score twice within five minutes. Following this match, criticism mounted against the Spanish player, who has clearly lost credibility in everyone’s eyes.
From that moment on, Carlo Ancelotti completely sidelined him. Given that several players like Lucas Vázquez and Luka Modrić are also out of contract but continue to play regularly despite their advanced age, it is clear that Ancelotti’s explanation regarding Vallejo does not reflect the full reality. In any case, one thing is now evident: Jesús is unlikely to play another minute before leaving Los Blancos as a free agent at the end of the season. In case of an extreme emergency, midfielders will be deployed in defence, or reserve team youngsters will step in as emergency solutions.
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