The reasons behind Rodrygo's Real Madrid rage

Suraj Radia

• 20 Jan 2023 09:51 CST
• 2 min read

Rodrygo risked the ire of Carlo Ancelotti after showing his frustration in being substituted during Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Villarreal in the Copa del Rey.

The 22-year-old has been a frustrated figure in recent weeks and has seen a decline in his form following the World Cup, prompting a drop in his minutes on the pitch.

Rodrygo had been a regular starter under Ancelotti prior to the World Cup break, grabbing seven goals and five assists and showing encouraging signs of a breakout season during his fourth year in Madrid but has scored just once since November, against minnows Cacereno in the cup.

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The Brazilian started the game against Villarreal but was substituted off 11 minutes into the second half with his side 2-0 down, leading to the forward ignoring Ancelotti while walking to the bench.

The Real Madrid manager denied talk of a feud between him and Rodrygo, having been seen having a stern conversation on the bench with the youngster following the substitution.

“'I told him not to forget to offer me his hand when he was substituted. I think he forgot,' said the Italian coach after goals from Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos gave Real a 3-2 comeback win.

Cracks beginning to show in Madrid?

Coming off the back of a double-winning campaign last year, many expected Real to continue to flourish this season, particularly given the financial turmoil surrounding rivals Barcelona.

However, despite a bright start to the season, Real have won just two of their last five La Liga games as well as a disappointing 3-1 loss to Barca in the Spanish Super Cup.

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The downturn in form has coincided with Barca winning six games from seven in the league since their only loss of the season to Real in October, creating a three point gap at the top of the table ahead of Los Blancos.

While there is not believed to be panic in Madrid yet, the club will be keen to get their league campaign back on track with a win over Bilbao this weekend.