Football
Chelsea fans are angry with Rüdiger. You had a clear foundation with us and at Real Madrid you sit, they complain
Real Madrid have played their first competitive match of the season, beating Frankfurt 2-0 in the European Super Cup. Carlo Ancelotti fielded the same line-up as for the Champions League final in May, with only two star reinforcements on the bench. And that has annoyed Chelsea fans.
Real Madrid have won their first competitive match of the season, beating Frankfurt 2-0 in the European Super Cup. Carlo Ancelotti fielded the same line-up as for the Champions League final in May, with only two star reinforcements on the bench. And that has annoyed Chelsea fans.
Los Blancos brought in Antonio Rüdiger, whose contract at Chelsea was up, and Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco in the summer. The German defender was one of the Premier League’s best stoppers last season, and in England it was clearly expected that Rüdiger would jump straight into the starting line-up.
But in Spain, there was no such optimism. After all, with the Militao-Alaba duo, Real won La Liga and the Champions League, and then you sit someone down? Ancelotti said afterwards in the build-up that he would be betting on a matched duo that had brought him success and that he trusted.
So he tried Rüdiger at left-back in the El Clásico friendly. Because he honestly has no way of even getting him into the starting lineup. The 24-year-old Militao was a long time coming for Real, first backing up Ramos and Varane, then last year he finally got his chance and grabbed it. And to sit him out after the season of his life? Impossible.
Alaba has become a leader again in one year, both on and off the pitch, he is the leader of the defence and can score important goals, like last year in El Clásico or on Wednesday night against Frankfurt. You can’t take the Austrian stopper out of the lineup either.
And so Real went into the first competitive match with the same line-up as last season. And Tchouaméni and Rüdiger were left on the bench. For the former, it was expected, as he is more of a bet for the future, but the German stopper would prefer to play right away.
And his departure still bites Chelsea fans hard. After all, Rüdiger has developed into one of Chelsea’s best players and the best stopper in the league. That’s why his departure has hit them hard, and even harder when they see him sitting on the bench at Real.
“Rüdiger has gone from starting line-up at Chelsea to bench warmer at Madrid, ” wrote an angry Blues fan.
“Andreas Christensen is still not registered with Barcelona and La Liga starts this weekend. Antonio Rüdiger is Real’s substitute in today’s Super Cup. It’s early days, of course, but the grass is rarely greener after leaving Chelsea,” wrote journalist Jamie Wilkinson.
“Rüdiger saw Hazard go to Madrid and ruin his career. And he does the same and he’s on the bench…” wrote a Chelsea fan.
“He was one of the best stoppers in the Premier League. How can he sit on the bench at Real?” another Blues supporter doesn’t understand.
Source: Twitter, UEFA