Most clubs reveal the formations of their football teams about an hour before the start of their matches in various competitions, with the exception of Spanish Real Madrid, which presents them to the media much earlier than their counterparts, without worrying that this will give competitors an advantage.
A report published by “The Athletic” website on Saturday explained that Real Madrid announced the lineup of its team that will face Borussia Dortmund, Germany, on Saturday in the Champions League final, more than two and a half hours before the match time, in a practice that has become regular for 3 seasons.
Some may believe that Real Madrid’s action will give Dortmund an opportunity to get to know the Italian Carlo Ancelotti’s squad and his style of play early, and to put in place what he believes could cause him harm, but it seems that the Spanish team and its coach no longer care about the matter, according to the report.
Real Madrid has resorted to this method on a regular basis since the 2021-2022 season, upon Carlo Ancelotti’s second return to Real Madrid, after journalists from various media outlets were leaking the team’s lineups in many important matches, which angered the club and many fans.
The report pointed out that Miguel Angel Diaz, a journalist for Radio Cadena Cope, regularly published Ancelotti’s options for matches during his first period, before the time Real Madrid wanted to reveal them.
In years past, these practices created a kind of division in the club. Everyone remembered how Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho suspected the presence of a “spy” who was relaying everything that was going on in the dressing room to the media, including his lineups for matches, and he was referring to international goalkeeper Iker. Casillas, who in turn denied this accusation.
These facts made the club and Ancelotti decide to turn the tables on the press. When the time came for the first derby against Atletico Madrid of the 2021-2022 season, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the team’s starting lineup was revealed two hours before the start of the match, and since then it has become a regular occurrence.
For Ancelotti and his assistants, this early announcement is no longer an obstacle that conflicts with their preparations for the matches and their tactical drawing. Before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals this season against Manchester City, the coach explained to reporters that he would not do anything regarding his style of play to surprise Pep Guardiola, but he did not clarify in any way. Enough what he means.
However, at the start of the match, Ancelotti moved the Brazilian Rodrigo from the centre-forward position to the left wing, and his compatriot Vinicius Junior took his place, bringing out the best quality in him.
In this way, according to the report, Real Madrid is working to enhance the image of its television channel, which is the first to publish news about the team and its formations, before it appears minutes later on its social media accounts.
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