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The Italian coach opted to start five central midfielders at the Metripolitano, but it didn't work at all as Los Blancos lost 3-1

In recent years, Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid have been immune to the challenges that have come with major games. This is a side that does not fear the biggest occasions, mainly because their manager does not allow it. Ancelotti has his system, his players, and his philosophy. There are tweaks — there have to be some — but no rival has brought about drastic change.

That is, until Sunday. Ancelotti had a rare tactical blip in one of his poorer days as Madrid manager, setting up a puzzling system that saw his side battered on the break by an eager Atletico team who ran out 3-1 winners in the Madrid derby.

The troubles were clear early on as Atletico embarked on a sweeping move down the left wing, with Samuel Lino afforded the time to reflect on the necessary angles, peer into the open space available to him, and deliver a whipped cross that Alvaro Morata simply nodded home.

Atletico added a second shortly after. This one came down the same wing with Saul, enjoying something of a revival after a forgettable loan spell at Chelsea, finding Antoine Griezmann, who rose from the penalty spot, entirely unmarked, to put his team 2-0 up. The third was nearly identical. Saul delivered the pass again for Morata to creep into a yard of space to evade three static Madrid defenders.

And those three crucial moments decided the contest. Ancelotti played five midfielders and no real striker, put Jude Bellingham on the wing, and asked a 38-year-old Luka Modric to start for the second game in a row. The Madrid attack was as discombobulated as expected, the only goal coming from a 20-yard Toni Kroos effort.

Changes did eventually come late in the game, Ancelotti abandoning his new system in favour of the 4-4-2 diamond that had handed Madrid a perfect start to the season. But his mishaps had done their damage, Madrid slumping to a derby loss to the tune of a tactical and defensive nightmare.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Metripolitano…

• WINNER: Alvaro Morata

  Few would have guessed that Atletico's often maligned striker would prove to be the difference between the two sides, but Alvaro Morata's brace was vital.

  His role was stripped down from an attacking perspective here. The forward only had 28 touches all game, and was seldom involved off the ball. Instead, he provided an able body in transition, and, crucially, a clinical finisher when required.

  Madrid will feel, correctly, that they should have defended Morata more effectively. Still, he took both of his goals well, meeting angled crosses and judging his headers expertly, leaving Kepa Arrizabalaga helpless on both occasions.

  Morata is, contrary to social media belief, a rather decent centre-forward, despite all of the criticism levelled at him on a weekly basis. He showed just how impactful he can be on Sunday evening.

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  LOSER: David Alaba

  In the 47th minute, after Morata bagged his second goal, David Alaba turned around, looked angrily at his team-mates, and pounded the Metropolitano turf. But for all of his protestations, the Austrian could only blame himself. For the second time in the fixture, he had lost the Spanish striker, and been far too easily exploited with a simple cross.

  It was the culmination of a rare poor showing from Alaba, who always seems to get the fundamentals right. He doesn't usually lose his man, or miss a header. He tends to time his tackles, and read passing lanes. Against Atletico, though, he was all over the place.

  He can certainly be blamed for both of Morata's goals, and didn't offer much help on the Atletico second either, failing to communicate with his centre-back partner Antonio Rudiger as Griezmann found far too much space. He doesn't have bad nights often; this one was awful.

• WINNER: Barcelona

  It is certainly too early in the season to be calling the Liga title race. Barcelona and Real Madrid will likely compete deep into the fixture list for the crown, these two fundamentally flawed but immensely exciting sides engaging in what should be an intriguing duel.

  And although we are far too early to extrapolate points, performances and results into anything concrete, this would have made for a nice watch for the Blaugrana, especially after their own epic comeback win on Saturday.

  Madrid were easily exploitable here, their defensive weaknesses laid bare. It is perhaps a showing that others can take inspiration from, too. Hit Madrid on the break, exploit the wings, and you will have a chance. And if this was the game that showed Madrid's biggest flaws — and gave other sides a clue as to how they might take a point or three off Los Blancos — then Barca might just have the upper hand in the weeks to come.

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  LOSER: Luka Modric

  Ancelotti has promised for a year now that Modric would be steadily phased out of the Madrid line-up. He admitted in February that both the Croatian and Kroos would have to accept a "moment of transition" in the Spanish capital, and suggested that they will not be regular starters this year. On Sunday, it was easy to see why.

  Modric appeared in the Madrid line-up for the second straight game, just five days after playing 70 tricky minutes against Union Berlin. And he looked tired from the first whistle, overwhelmed by the pace and bite of the contest. He struggled to get back, and was uncharacteristically squalid on the ball.

  He played only 45 minutes, touched the ball 38 times, and didn't create a single chance. This was not the showing of the former Ballon d'Or winner. Rather, it was the trudge of a 38-year-old starting to look his age.

Many West Ham United fans are eager to sign Alex Kral this summer after it was revealed that they have reignited their interest in the midfielder.

The Hammers ended their season in style on Sunday as they defeated Southampton 3-0 at the London Stadium. The result means they will be playing in the Europa League next term, a fantastic achievement from the Irons considering that they finished above the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League table and came a lowly 16th in the previous campaign.

As such, David Moyes and co will need to get their squad ready for a European campaign, and that is likely to involve new players being brought in. According to the print edition of The Sunday Mirror (May 23rd, page 74) [via Hammers News], West Ham remain interested in signing Kral from Spartak Moscow this summer, and he would reportedly cost around £14m.

The Czech Republic international is a tenacious defensive midfielder, with match averages of 1.5 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.6 successful aerial duels this season. The interceptions average exceeds that of international team-mate and Irons midfielder Tomas Soucek with 1.6 for the campaign.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the rumour, with one fan describing Kral as a “superb” midfielder.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kral news below

“Fantastic ball carrier. Great ability. Versatile. Get him in.”

Credit: @alanrzepa

“£14m would be an absolute bargain! Make it happen! Young, physical unit, excellent technical ability & skill, great passing range & should settle quickly!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Would be a great signing.”

Credit: @WHUsamzini

“Would love him”

Credit: @CristianoCruzJ

“Kral would be superb.. get him in the team”

Credit: @Dave83238635

“Would love it. Fits the mold we were promised of young and hungry players with upside”

Credit: @JesseLarch

In other news, many West Ham fans are delighted by this transfer news.

Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall may be set to stay at the City Ground this summer, despite a host clubs being interested in him.

What’s been said?

In a recent post on Twitter, after being awarded as the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Club Player of the Year and the Gedling Branch Player of the Year, the 24-year-old discussed how honoured he was to pick up the trophies, as well as commenting on the club’s below-par performances in the Championship this season.

However, despite the reported summer interest of teams such as West Ham United, Norwich City and Burnley, the defender then appeared to drop a rather large hint regarding his future at Forest, claiming that next season is a chance for him and the Garibaldi to achieve something special.

He said: “Extremely honoured to pick up these awards, I would like to thank everybody for your support this season. This season, off the back of the last, has been disappointing and way below par from us all. Next season is a chance to try and achieve something special. Thank you!”

Fans will be buzzing

As Worrall points out, Forest’s 2020/21 Championship campaign has been one that is not likely to live long in the memory of the City Ground faithful, with the Reds finishing in an extremely disappointing 17th place in the league standings.

However, despite the team’s general poor performances, Worrall still managed to impress over his 31 Championship appearances from the heart of Chris Hughton’s defence, with the £3.6 million-rated centre-back helping his side to keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 4.2 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.94 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, Worrall’s hint that he could remain at the club next season is something that is likely to leave the Garibaldi fans buzzing, as it would very much appear, if Hughton is to have any hope of mounting a promotion push next season, the player labelled by Steven Gerrard as a “leader” will be a crucial part of any success the club may have going forwards.

In other news: Forest handed devastating blow over £3.6m-rated gem dubbed “one of the most talented” – opinion

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson has told Tottenham Hotspur to target Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.

The Lowdown: Spurs managerial search continues…

Many names have been linked in the press, including elite managers like Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte and Hansi Flick, but the search goes on for Spurs’ heir to former boss Jose Mourinho.

Alasdair Gold reported that Tottenham are aiming to appoint their new manager by the end of this season, and while a shortlist has been drawn up, they’re fast running out of time.

The Latest: Tottenham told to target Gerrard

Robinson, speaking in an interview with Football Insider, has urged Levy to swoop for the Gers boss after he ended Celtic’s near decade-long dominance over the SPFL.

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“When I look at the list of managers nobody is jumping off the page at me,” he explained to the outlet.

“There could be a massive rebuild once again. Who do they trust to do it? They had the young exciting manager in Pochettino and they have had the serial trophy winner Mourinho. Neither return a trophy for Spurs.

“Where do they go now? The only one that would excite me, and he has not been talked about yet, is Steven Gerrard. I would love to see him there.

“What he has done at Rangers has been incredible. He is a young, exciting manager who has pull in the transfer market.

“Yes, Scotland is not anything like the Premier League but I like what he has done there and how he has gone about it.”

The Verdict: A credible outsider with one fatal caveat…

Gerrard has received no shortage of praise for his job at Ibrox, with former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe even likening him to Harry Redknapp last year due to his personable approach to man management (talkSPORT via the Daily Record).

As well as this, former Scotland international and Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has hailed him as ‘fantastic’ for the job he has done in Glasgow (The Athletic).

It is no secret he has achieved a brilliant turnaround for Rangers, but Gerrard’s lack of experience in a more competitive division like the Premier League could be the only caveat to his possible appointment.

In other news: Tottenham now set to interview this ‘top coach’, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for the Reds to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic following more brilliance over the weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s men had an excruciating day at the office on Saturday, drawing 1-1 at home to Newcastle United. Mohamed Salah’s superb early strike suggested that it could be a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League champions, but poor finishing again proved fatal.

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Joe Willock’s stoppage time effort saw Liverpool drop two more vital points in the top-four battle, with Champions League football now looking unlikely at Anfield next season.

The profligacy on show from the Reds suggested that a new striker needs to arrive this summer, with Vlahovic one of those who has been linked with a move.

The 21-year-old scored a Panenka-style penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw with Juventus on Sunday, taking his tally for the season to 17 Serie A goals in 29 starts.

Liverpool fans wants Reds to sign Vlahovic

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to call for Vlahovic to be a summer signing.

“Vlahovic up against Chiellini, De Ligt and Bonucci on his own for Fiorentina . Impressing me more and more every time I see him. Tentative links to LFC from some. Would be something completely different to any of our current attack. A powerful target man with a ferocious shot”

Credit: @GrizzKhan

“Seen him playing for the last 3 years. Delicious attacker. Would be a great addition for Liverpool”

Credit: @lies_the_rub

“We need that kind of a player and a natural goal scorer”

Credit: @61Zaqir

“He’s class and needs signing up”

Credit: @lfc_ik4

“Very well taken, would love to see him do this in red”

Credit: @empireofthekop

“Vlahovic or Kaladjzic should be our No.9 targets”

Credit: @MoThiagoA6_

In other news, some Liverpool have been left fuming after a key development at the club. Read more here.

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that Dele Alli can still become world class, but reckons his lack of effort in training saw him clash with the now-departed Jose Mourinho.

Alli was a regular during Mourinho’s early days at Spurs, but has hardly been used all season since being dropped from the squad following the opening-day defeat to Everton.

That first-half against the Toffees and three other brief appearances from the bench were the midfielder’s only Premier League outings until February, with Alli’s main involvement coming in the Europa League.

He did come back into the frame during Mourinho’s final few months, but never appeared part of the Portuguese’s long-term plans.

Despite his lack of minutes throughout this season, Roberts has backed Alli to reach his full potential at Tottenham.

He told Football FanCast:

“I still think he is going to be world class. It’s going to take a little while now because people have doubts about him.

“I think it’s to do with his training – he’s not the best trainer. I played with players and we’ve all been in those days where we aren’t the best trainers but on a Saturday you scored goals, but Mourinho wouldn’t have that.”

When the summer transfer window opens, Wolves will need to sign some attackers.

Without the injured Raul Jimenez, their strikers have been pretty non-existent in front of goal, scoring just four times between them all season.

Fabio Silva’s £35.6m move from Porto has pocketed just three goals while Willian Jose had to wait until the middle of April for his first strike in Old Gold.

With that in mind, it feels unlikely that Nuno Santo and Jeff Shi will utilise their option to buy the Real Sociedad forward in the summer.

One alternative could be Sheffield United’s Oliver McBurnie. Wolves are looking to take advantage of their relegation by prising the striker away from Yorkshire in a few months time.

The Sun claim a fee of £15m could be enough to tempt the Blades into selling.

However, with only seven goals in 65 outings for Sheffield United, he hardly looks like he’d be a wise investment.

Instead, Wolves could save themselves a bucket load of cash by unleashing Rafa Mir next season.

If that sentence had been used at the start of the campaign you’d have been laughed at. Though, such is the Spaniard’s impressive season on loan at Huesca that he deserves another chance at Molineux.

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Mir’s time in English football has been nothing short of a disaster so far. He’s not scored for Wolves and didn’t beat the goalkeeper during a temporary stay at Nottingham Forest either.

That being said, he is beginning to flourish in Spain and is now among the top scorers in La Liga.

The 23-year-old is enjoying the best spell of his career so far and has 15 goals in all competitions this term, 12 of which have come in the Spanish top-flight. That puts him seventh in the rankings ahead of the £107.6m Antoine Griezmann and the £113m Joao Felix.

Mir is very quickly defying the doubters and his good form, along with the high ceiling he still possesses, should lead to a second chance at Wolves.

He has evolved from a young striker lacking confidence and maturity to a forward with the world at his feet.

He’s even earned comparisons to one of the most bullish forwards around; “He’s a little bit like Diego Costa,” Spanish football write Richard Dunne told The Athletic.

“He’s aggressive, he likes running the channels, he holds off defenders, he’s athletic and strong.”

Dunne continued: “He’s not exactly technically gifted but he has an unorthodox running style that works for him, he can keep the ball, he’s got a powerful strike, he’s quick and he’s good in the air.”

Having become a regular goal scorer in one of the most reputable leagues in world football, Nuno should consider bringing him into the first-team group next season.

He has scored more goals than McBurnie this term and he’d prevent Fosun from shelling out needlessly on £15m.

AND in other news, Forget MGW: Wolves must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o who creates “things out of nothing”…

As much as you try to deny and admit that it’s the case, Celtic are a selling club. They may be one of the most historically successful teams in Europe but the Bhoys haven’t had much success keeping hold of their prized assets.

It’s a trend that could come back to bite them again this summer. Odsonne Edouard has attracted the interest of both Arsenal and Leicester.

He could be another name to add to the pile of those who have thrived at Celtic but then sought the exit door. Moussa Dembele and Kieran Tierney are two of the latest names but if we go back further, Victor Wanyama, Virgil Van Dijk and Fraser Forster all come to mind.

One player who has rather gone under the radar throughout his career, however, is Derdyck Boyata.

The centre-back struggled to make the breakthrough at Manchester City, an eventuality that has struck down plenty before him. Though, after a move to Glasgow, he found a home in Paradise.

Celtic treated him well and he became a pillar of four straight SPFL wins. Under Brendan Rodgers, the duo were a force, so much so that the Northern Irishman called him “top-class.”

Boyata played 135 times for the Hoops but left under a cloud of smoke in controversial circumstances.

In 2018, the Belgian was called up by his national team for the World Cup. This was a surprise for the centre-half but it was recognition that changed the course of his career.

He returned from Russia a man in demand and as he entered the final year of his contract with the Bhoys, Boyata wanted a move. Fulham reportedly bid £9m for his services but that was knocked back by Rodgers and co.

Speaking last week, he revealed what happened: “I cannot speak for them, but I really did not think they expected me to go to the World Cup, or for me to play. So I go to the World Cup, and I have one year left. So we ended up having a good World Cup, finished 3rd. Come back to Celtic. I had very good relations with Brendan Rodgers. I got mixed up in a situation I’ve never been in. [I had] all these teams coming from left to right.”

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Boyata continued: “That was the year the transfer window was closing earlier than usual. So what happened is, I speak with the guys, I speak with the doctors, the coach, about the situation. Yes, I requested a transfer. I said ‘I have these teams behind me, I don’t know what’s going to happen for me in the future. I need to know what’s going on now’.”

It was a complex situation. Without knowing the full details initially, it looked as though the defender refused to play for Celtic again. Rodgers left him at home for a crucial Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens despite the player being fit. The Glaswegian’s ultimately lost and Boyata was the one who took the blame.

He was understandably rocked by it, commenting: “Brendan Rodgers had an interview where he said ‘it’s difficult to win games when we have fit players at home, who don’t want to help the team’. From this interview, Chris Sutton was so hurtful. Honestly, he was so hurtful that I wrote down everything he said. He said something like “you need to kick him out of the team!”

Boyata concluded: “From that moment, I was finished. I came back the day after and went to speak to [Rodgers]. “How can you do this to me? How can you put me in the situation? You know everything that was going on, you were aware of everything”. He protected himself, he protected the team, and I was the bad guy.”

The 30-year-old did play for Celtic again. In fact, he played 32 matches for the Hoops in 2018/19.

However, he was clearly in no mood to stay. The Belgium international saw out his contract and departed for Hertha Berlin on a free transfer.

The £9m they could have sourced for the defender a year previous had clearly gone begging, but they could have fetched even more.

After all, John Hartson made a remarkable assessment during the 2018 World Cup: “If John Stones is £50m then Boyata is in same bracket. Celtic should be in his hotel room now with a contract offer.”

Since leaving, the former Man City man has become a Bundesliga and Belgium regular. In the process, his value has risen to the £8.1m mark.

Hertha undoubtedly got the better end of the deal here. Celtic should have cashed in when they had the chance.

AND in other news, “I have spoken with him” – Big U-turn could emerge after exciting Celtic manager claim…

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Gary Mabbutt believes that Oliver Skipp will be fighting for his place in Spurs’ first-team next season in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The central midfielder has gone on loan to Norwich City this season, with the club attempting to win promotion to the Premier League.

Skipp has played in every single Championship game and the club are currently top of the league, having taken 83 points from 38 games.

They are 14 points clear of third-placed Swansea City and are eight clear of second-placed Watford.

Skipp is also currently away with the England U21 team at the European Championships and Mabbutt believes that he can come back and make a real impression at Spurs next season.

He has played 23 times for the senior side in total, making his debut back in the 2018/19 season under Mauricio Pochettino, and played seven times in the Premier League last term.

Mabbutt told FFC: “Going away on loan to Norwich has been a great move for Oliver. When you have the competition, there are times as a club when you have to look at it and say ‘this player is nearly there, he’s not quite there’.

“Going away on a season-long loan to Norwich when you know they’re going to be fighting at the top of the table, and are an excellent team who should get back in the Premier League, that is a fantastic move for him.

“It has been both from the club’s perspective and from his own, so I’m delighted that he’s doing so well. It has shown that he is a player, I would think, that will be back involved in the Spurs first-team for next season.”

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to seal the Italian a reunion with SSC Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and sign a commanding partner for Ben Godfrey this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Koulibaly tops Everton’s shortlist for defensive signings after Ancelotti made centre-back upgrades a priority for the next transfer window.

The Italian tactician is understood to be chasing the arrival of a world-class option capable of delivering the same level of impact that Liverpool saw from £75m signing Virgil van Dijk and that Manchester City have benefited from with their £65m capture Ruben Dias.

Everton chiefs are understood to be structuring a deal that would see the Goodison Park outfit sign Koulibaly, despite knowing a move for the Senegalese powerhouse would have little resale value as he turns 30 in June.

Napoli had demanded £69m for Koulibaly’s exit amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United last summer, but reports by Gazzetta dello Sport via FourFourTwo have claimed the Serie A side are now willing to slash their asking price.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium hierarchy believe this summer is the right moment to sell the 43-cap international, as Koulibaly will have two years remaining on his £195,000-per-week contract come the end of the season.

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Ancelotti has instructed Director of Football Marcel Brands and his team to target a new centre-half in the off-season, as he does not believe Everton’s current options have the right skill set to work together long-term.

Michael Keane has opened the most Premier League fixtures at centre-half for the former Napoli head coach at 25 from a possible 28 so far this season, while Yerry Mina has started 19, Ben Godfrey has opened 11 of his 21 outings in the centre and Mason Holgate six of 18 appearances.

Should Everton sign Napoli’s Koulibaly?

A move for Everton to sign Koulibaly in the summer would likely still come with a hefty price tag, despite the reports from Italy that Napoli are willing to lower their asking price for the £54m-rated titan.

Koulibaly’s representatives from Lian Sports Group will likely also push for a hefty wage after securing Leroy Sane a £298k-p/w deal when he left Manchester City for Bayern Munich last summer, which was more than three times the salary the German was on at the Etihad Stadium.

But Ancelotti convincing Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri to sanction a swoop could see the Italian acquire a dream partner for Godfrey, who the Toffees boss is said to consider as the best of his current central defenders and the one with the most potential.

Blues supporters are often bowled over by Godfrey’s performances, as well, with the £20m signing from Norwich City earning a wealth of praise for his efforts against Manchester City in the FA Cup last Saturday despite losing the quarter-final tie.

Koulibaly could be the perfect partner for Godfrey, having been lauded by Kevin Campbell as an “excellent” target for Arsenal last summer, while former Chelsea star Craig Burley claimed “is Koulibaly a great get for most clubs? Absolutely, he is a fantastic centre-half,” amid Liverpool and Manchester United’s interest.

Koulibaly’s experience and knowledge could also help Godfrey fulfil the potential Ancelotti sees in him, even if bringing the 6 ft 1 brute to Goodison Park would likely be an expensive operation for Everton.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…