Carlo Ancelotti made it very clear in the press conference before the Real Madrid-Celta de Copa match that will take place tomorrow at Bernabéu.
He neither counts on nor will count on Raúl Asencio, the youth player who has won over Madrid fans but doesn't appeal to his coach.
Ancelotti Still Prefers Tchouaméni
Even though he was responsible for Barça's goals, Ancelotti keeps trusting in Tchouaméni. He made it clear in his appearance before the media:
"I'm still convinced that Tchouaméni has done well as a center-back. The data speaks to this, considering that it's not his ideal position. Once we don't have the emergency at the back and Alaba returns, he'll go back to his position as a pivot," he said.
He also made it clear that he'll continue to count on Tchouaméni over Asencio for the center-back position. He admits that Asencio is a center-back and Tchouaméni is not.
He Only Sees Asencio as a Full-back
He explained it this way: "Asencio is a center-back. Training him to play as a right-back takes time because he isn't used to it. He joined for the first time two months ago, has played good matches and has shown he can play. But he's only been with us for two months."
It's surprising that two months aren't enough at Real Madrid for a youth player. In other teams by his time, other players are capable of becoming internationals.
Ancelotti made it clear that he doesn't see Asencio as a center-back. In the same way he places Tchouaméni in that position, even though it's not his, he insists on placing Asencio as a full-back. Although that's not his natural position either.
Two Players out of Position
There are already two players Ancelotti insists on placing in a position that's not theirs. For Asencio, he asks for time to learn to play as a full-back.
It's natural that Asencio is thinking about packing his bags. No matter how much he adapts to the full-back position, the club expects to announce in the coming hours the arrival of a reinforcement to replace Carvajal. That means Asencio will also be out as a full-back.
Then, during the summer, two more full-backs will arrive: Alexander-Arnold and Alphonso Davies. There will also be a center-back who will join Rüdiger along with David Alaba and Militão, who have recovered from their injuries.
The outlook couldn't be bleaker for Asencio. He has shown talent but hasn't been able to take advantage of the gaps left in the team by injuries.
"Commitment Was Lacking in the Super Cup"
Ancelotti was asked about immediate reinforcements. He replied: "I won't answer." Under other circumstances, he would have replied with a resounding no.
Everything points to Asencio's being another youth player who will bring in money with his departure. Real Madrid will keep 50% of his rights, just in case.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti admits that the problem for Real Madrid in the Super Cup was "commitment." He spoke of collective commitment to avoid pointing fingers directly:
"We lacked commitment from everyone together, because the most important thing is to put individual commitment together. That's what happened to us during the match against Barcelona," he said.
It would be good for Ancelotti to recover the lost commitment as soon as possible.