Florentino Pérez can't believe it. Real Madrid has reached the final stretch of the season relying on the young players. Now Carlo Ancelotti makes statements that have astonished the offices at Bernabéu.
"Jacobo is at the same level as Asencio"
"Jacobo is at the same level as Asencio," Ancelotti just said. Really? Now?
After having the kid ignored throughout the entire season? The archives don't lie. Jacobo Ramón has been a non-entity for Ancelotti until he had no choice but to give him minutes due to injuries.
The youth player has replied with goals, assists, and personality. But what bothers the club is not his performance, but the lack of consistency from the Italian coach.
If he was so good... why didn't he trust him from the beginning when injuries plagued Carvajal, Alaba, Militao, Rüdiger, etc.?
It's not the only case. Jesús Vallejo has closed an impeccable end of the league, performing as a starter and proving he could have been a valid option throughout the course.
However, Ancelotti has preferred incomprehensible experiments, like placing Tchouaméni as a central defender, rather than trusting the Aragonese player.
Too little, too late?
Florentino's indignation is clear: what sense does it make to praise the youth players now when they have been forgotten all year?
Ancelotti tries to correct on the fly, perhaps seeking to save face before the Club World Cup. But in the upper echelons of Bernabéu, they consider his words a lack of respect to the fans and the youth project.
Florentino wants a younger, more dynamic squad, with real prominence for the talents from Valdebebas. But with Ancelotti on the bench, many feel that idea is a mirage.
In fact, Raúl Asencio is the only one who has consistently made the leap. But the Canary Islander also had to overcome the resistance of a coach who couldn't quite see him playing in his team. Ancelotti was the only one who didn't see star potential in him from his first minutes with Real Madrid.
With Jacobo Ramón, it's the same. All year drafted, sitting on the bench amid constant injuries in defense... And never sufficiently useful for the first team.
It took the season being concluded without titles to confirm that Jacobo is an excellent central defender. With him too, Ancelotti took too many months to discover the treasure that had been left in his hands.
Florentino Pérez hopes that with Xabi Alonso, the leap from La Fábrica to the first team won't fall into the category of miracles.