Militão at risk of losing his starting position – report

Despite earning Carlo’s trust in previous seasons, Militão may be replaced by Rüdiger as madridistas demand a change in the starting XI based on current performance. However, the Italian coach continues to see Alaba and Militão as his starting Centre backs, overlooking the excellent performance of the team’s first captain, Nacho, during the recent Pre-Season tour in the USA.

Concerns have been raised regarding the continuous injuries suffered by the Australian center back during the 2022/2023 season, resulting in him missing 31% of games. Despite these injuries, the manager added him to the cup final XI with just two training sessions before the game.

Criticism was raised against the Italian gaffer for benching Rüdiger in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals at the Etihad, despite his exemplary performance in the first leg and marking one of the world’s current best strikers, Haaland.

The Brazilian-Austrian pairing has been consistent since Alaba’s arrival in Madrid in May 2021. Between the two, they played 8566 minutes (4496 for Militão and 4070 for Alaba) in 2021-22, whereas Nacho played only 2535.In 2022-23, Alaba’s physical decline made way for Rüdiger, who became the second most-used center-back in the squad with 3844, while Nacho played 2676.

The team’s defensive performance has not been impressive so far, conceding eight goals in just four games this summer. Madrid has attributed this inconsistency to the new system (4-4-2). Ancelotti must tackle this issue as soon as possible before the league debut next week. Alaba and Militão are still immovable as per the Italian’s crystal-clear decision. Whether or not this will put an end to the recent bleeding in San Mamés remains to be seen. [Diario AS]