Dressed as a pundit in England this Tuesday for the first-leg playoff between Manchester City and Real Madrid, Wayne Rooney praised Carlo Ancelotti for his imperial composure in difficult moments. After criticising Pep Guardiola’s players, the former Manchester United star expressed his respect for the Madrid coach.
Real Madrid has once again produced a historic result in its favourite competition: the Champions League. Having struggled this season against top teams, the Madrid club managed to overturn Manchester City on their own turf on Tuesday in a playoff for a spot in the round of 16, thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé, Brahim Diaz, and Jude Bellingham. After the match, which turned into a nightmare for Pep Guardiola in his technical area, Wayne Rooney pointed out major shortcomings among the City players.
Rooney first takes aim at City
According to the former Manchester United star, now a manager in England, the Citizens should not have continued pressing Madrid’s defence, knowing they are not as solid at the back. “I think there was a lot of naivety from Manchester City, especially towards the end of the match. For me, I think Manchester City players, over the past few years, have shown strong belief and great confidence,” Rooney first stated on Amazon Prime Video, as reported by Sport Bible.
As many observers have been saying for months, the Manchester City side that faced Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid on Tuesday (3-2) was clearly in complete panic mode. Wayne Rooney sees it as a confidence issue. “Tonight (Tuesday), the players were looking at each other, almost with a lack of trust in one another, and I think that’s a concern for Guardiola. Real Madrid came here without any of their defenders, and I don’t think we heard Carlo Ancelotti mention it even once.”
Regarding Real Madrid’s opponents, who will visit the Santiago Bernabéu next Wednesday for the return leg, the former Three Lions star striker does not understand why the Sky Blues kept attacking Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior in the final minutes of the match. “When you’re leading 2-1 against Real Madrid and you have a match coming up at the Bernabéu, you have to say, ‘Let’s be sensible,’ let them have the ball in their half, reset,” he said.
“Carlo Ancelotti never complains”
It must be said that Guardiola’s team is struggling, and despite a weakened Real Madrid side, things are not going well. Speaking about Madrid’s injury problems, Wayne Rooney made sure to pay tribute to Carlo Ancelotti. Still speaking on Amazon Prime Video, the current Plymouth manager (5 wins, 6 draws, and 14 defeats) acknowledged the resilience of the 65-year-old Madrid coach, who has shown great mental strength in his team’s most challenging moments.
Considering this Real Madrid side travelled without three or four of their starting defenders, Rooney pointed out something no other manager would have failed to mention in such circumstances. “Real Madrid came here without any defenders, and we never heard Ancelotti talk about it even once. He never complains. He lost his defence and has had many injuries this season, but he didn’t mention it. If it was another manager, he would have never kept quiet,” he added.
Yes! Ancelotti has managed to rally his men. Despite two midfielders dropping into defence, the Madrid team did not give up, and the final result offers them some consolation. With the return leg just days away, we will see whether things change drastically or if logic prevails with Real Madrid’s qualification, as they seem to have been reborn with the performance they put on Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium.
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