Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has agreed that the club must look for a number nine for the future. The Italian manager also remarked that Karim Benzema has been performing up until now though, and that if Los Blancos have one problem, then it is not their attack.
Ancelotti spoke to the media ahead of Real Madrid’s clash with Real Sociedad on Tuesday night, and was asked if the club needed to sign a more pure number nine to play behid Karim Benzema, despite the use of Marco Asensio and Rodrygo Goes through the middle in his absence at times.
“The project for the future for the club is to sign a 9, because Karim is the age he is. But Karim is doing very well up until now and while he is in good condition, it’s working very well.”
“It’s true that Karim has had his up and downs, but Rodrygo has progressed, Asensio has progressed. But it’s also true to say that in the last two years, the problem has not been the forwards,” commented the Italian, in a pointed remark towards his defence.
The Italian manager was highly critical of Real Madrid’s defending last week after they were beaten by Girona 4-2, and while they were on the right side of that scoreline against Almeria at the weekend, Ancelotti will no doubt have been irritated by the lack of concentration from his defence. Previously he had commented that ‘without defensive commitment, this team struggles to win games’.