Ferland Mendy has not been able to recover in time from his injury and will not be part of the Real Madrid squad that traveled this morning to London to face Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. This situation, as reported by various media outlets in Spain, has led to Ancelotti considering a tactical change to cover the left side of his defense.

Ancelotti's doubts about the left-back position in Real Madrid

Initially, without Ferland Mendy, Fran García should be guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup that Real Madrid will field tomorrow against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. However, the defensive issues that have been troubling Real Madrid for weeks point to him as one of the main culprits... and he could be one of the major absentees from the lineup Ancelotti will propose against Arsenal.

In his place, Eduardo Camavinga has filled in as left-back since his arrival at Real Madrid. However, there was a detail in the changes Ancelotti made against Valencia that could be seen as a kind of test for the match against Arsenal. Fran García was substituted late in the game, Eduardo Camavinga came on... but the player who took the left-back position for Real Madrid was David Alaba.

Alaba played left-back against Valencia

This is by no means an unfamiliar position for David Alaba. In fact, despite playing as a center-back in recent years, he has played a total of 261 matches as a left-back throughout his career. More than in any other position. Additionally, during the minutes he played against Valencia, he was quite bold in joining the attack and showcasing the quality of his left foot by delivering several dangerous crosses into the box.

However, at 32 years old and after recovering from a serious knee injury just a few months ago, David Alaba's speed to play as a left-back has been quite limited... and this could end up being a problem for Real Madrid, especially with Saka now fully recovered. Nevertheless, Ancelotti trusts that his defensive talent will compensate for these physical limitations, and his inclusion in Real Madrid's starting lineup against Arsenal seems to be gaining momentum.