There is a case to be made for Real Madrid boasting the best squad in Spain, with no better argument put forward than Wednesday’s thrilling 5-3 win over crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals.
Los Blancos came back from behind twice to force extra time then won thanks to goals from substitutes Brahim Diaz and Joselu.
This led Ancelotti to tweet that “fighting until the end is in the DNA of this team”, but he also noted the impact of his players that came off the bench in deciding the tie.
“I am left [happy] with the contribution of those who entered [as substitutes]. We took Rodrygo, Vinicius and Valverde off and we did well. Brahim, Joselu, Arda [Guler].. They have contributed a lot. I’ll stick with this,” he answered post-match, when asked which positives he would take from the tie.
Ancelotti and his troops are now in line to win their first trophy of the season when facing either bitter rivals FC Barcelona or Osasuna in the decider on Sunday.
Simultaneously, they are also top of La Liga after overcoming a chastening 3-1 defeat to Atleti in September and are through to the Champions League 16 – where they will face RB-Leipzig in February – with a perfect six wins from six record in Group C.
All this has been done with losing probably the best goalkeeper in the world Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao at the beginning of the season with the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Eduardo Camavinga also being defined to the sidelines for considerable periods amid David Alaba also having his season ended by a serious injury.
While Ancelotti has faced constant questions about the strength of his squad, he has always defended it to a hilt before the press.
The talking is done on the pitch after all, and the impact of secondary players always ready to put in a shift and even change games as Joselu and Brahim did midweek, while we are yet to see the best of Arda Guler, demonstrates that Madrid is well-equipped to fight for everything on offer in terms of silverware.
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