Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical stubbornness: Stats reveal struggles with bench utilisation | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is known for being somewhat conservative when it comes to rotating his squad.

While substitutes have frequently played important roles in securing victories, such as Brahim Diaz and Endrick scoring after coming off the bench in their match against Valladolid, Ancelotti’s approach to substitutions has remained largely unchanged.

Over the course of the season, this has sparked a noticeable shift in how the team operates and to put things in perspective, Real Madrid are the team in La Liga who have used substitutes the least this season.

Statistics are worrying

To understand it better, it is important to look at the stats. After 12 league matches, only 888 minutes of play have been contributed by substitutes, with just 48 substitutions made.

Carlo Ancelotti has made the fewest substitutions in La Liga. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Despite the importance of squad depth, this approach has limited the overall involvement of players who are not starting the matches.

To further illustrate Ancelotti’s substitution strategy, it is interesting to note that out of the 48 substitutions he has made so far, only three matches saw him use all five available substitutes.

While 48 substitutions out of possible 60 is not really a bad number, it must be noted that a significant number of his changes, 15 to be exact, came after the 80th minute, highlighting a reluctance to make early adjustments.

In contrast, he has made only eight substitutions before the 60th minute, with half of these being forced by injuries. This means that, on average, Ancelotti waits until the 72nd minute to make a change, making his substitution timing the fourth latest in the entire league.

Ancelotti’s favourite substitutes

Among the players who have been most frequently used as substitutes in La Liga are Luka Modric, Rodrygo, and Brahim Diaz.

Luka Modric is one of Ancelotti’s favourite substitutes. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

The Croatian midfielder has played 174 minutes across seven substitute appearances. Rodrygo has been brought on as a substitute in four games, accumulating 157 minutes, but without any direct involvement in goals.

Brahim, on the other hand, has been used as a substitute in five league games, adding up to 131 minutes. His contributions have been notable, with two goals and an assist in the matches against Valladolid and Osasuna.

Despite these significant contributions, none of the other 12 players who have come on as substitutes for Real Madrid this season have played over 100 minutes in La Liga (counting upto 90 minutes of action).

This shows just how much Ancelotti prefers to stick with his starting lineup and limit changes during the game, even though squad rotation could potentially benefit the team in the long run.

Champions League is a different story

Interestingly, Ancelotti’s approach to substitutions appears to be quite different in the Champions League. In Europe, he adopts a more flexible attitude and is more willing to rotate his players.

Carlo Ancelotti is quite flexible in the UEFA Champions League. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

In the four Champions League games played so far, Ancelotti has made 18 substitutions out of 20 possible, a stark contrast to his conservative approach in La Liga.

Only three of these changes were made after the 80th minute, and the average substitution time in the Champions League has been brought forward to the 67th minute.

This shift in approach means that Real Madrid’s substitutes have played a more significant role in European competition, accumulating a total of 414 minutes in just four games—nearly half of the total minutes played by substitutes in their 12 league matches.

Overall, while Ancelotti’s substitution strategy in La Liga remains rather cautious, his willingness to rotate players in the Champions League suggests that he may value squad freshness and depth more in international competitions.

It will be interesting to see if this trend continues as the season progresses, especially in La Liga, where the team’s reliance on starting players may eventually lead to fatigue or injuries.

The challenge for Ancelotti will be to strike the right balance between maintaining a consistent lineup and ensuring that substitutes are given enough minutes to make an impact when called upon.