• Football

Ancelotti: Di Maria was too wasteful

ESPN staff
November 11, 2014
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said Angel Di Maria was too wasteful in possession, one of the reasons why the club was happy to sell him to Manchester United in the summer.

Di Maria was controversially sold to United for £59.7 million pounds in August, with many fans and pundits unhappy at the loss of a player who had taken a key role in last season's Champions League and Copa del Rey wins.

However, new man James Rodriguez, who arrived for €80 million from Monaco after starring at the World Cup, has fitted in seamlessly at the Bernabeu, helping the team to play a more-possession based game.

Ancelotti told Al Primer Toque that Di Maria's all-action style had been useful at times in "breaking" tight games, but said he could also misplace passes at important times.

"[James] and Di Maria are very different players," Ancelotti explained. "Di Maria could break games with his energy, but also sometimes he lost control - he lost the ball in important moments."

Ancelotti also said he had been struck by the willingness of James to work hard for the team.

"[James] has surprised me in that moment more with his sacrifice for the team, than with his quality," Ancelotti said. "He cannot just play as a forward, but also as a midfielder."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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