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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has explained why Eden Hazard didn't come on during their 3-1 La Liga victory over Espanyol on Sunday evening.
Los Blancos took an early lead thanks to a Vinicius Junior strike before former Newcastle striker Joselu equalized for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.
It took until the 88th minute for the Spanish champions to regain the lead, as Karim Benzema once again bailed his side out. The French forward added another in injury time to secure the win and maintain Madrid's 100% record this season.
Ancelotti only used four of his allotted five substitutes, which prompted many Real Madrid supporters to question why Hazard did not come on. The 31-year-old playmaker is yet to start a game for the Galacticos this term to help compound his miserable stay at the Bernabeu so far.
The Belgian international joined from Chelsea in 2019 with incredibly high expectations. But injuries have wrecked his time in the Spanish capital as he has only scored six times in 68 appearances for the club.
When asked about Hazard's omission following the full-time whistle, Ancelotti told Real Madrid's official website:
"Hazard might have been an option, but I didn't want to unbalance the team. We already had Rodrygo, Vinicius and Karim playing. Bringing on another forward could have been risky.
"He has my full backing and it's not a problem if he doesn't play, doesn't get on the pitch or doesn't warm up. He will get playing time. I'm not Hazard's, Benzema's, Mendy's, Camavinga's or Valverde's coach. I'm Real Madrid's coach."
Carlo Ancelotti explains changes for Real Madrid's clash with Espanyol
The legendary Italian boss made three changes from the side that thrashed Celta Vigo 4-1 last weekend. The most notable of which came in midfield as Toni Kroos replaced Eduardo Camavinga.
The decision appeared to have backfired as the European champions struggled to find a way past a determined Espanyol side. But they eventually found a way through, and Ancelotti explained his choices after the encounter. He proclaimed:
“Each game is a different story. If I’d started with Rodrygo and Camavinga we might not have had so much control in the first 25 minutes. If Kroos and Modric had come on instead, we might not have had that energy that we had. But choosing is like betting. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Today, the Real Madrid coach made a good bet”.
