"Finished player" "Garbage lineup" - Real Madrid fans 'worried' as midfielder starts crucial La Liga clash against Real Sociedad

Real Madrid fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with their club's starting XI against Real Sociedad in La Liga today (Sunday, January 29). Fans of Los Blancos were quick to identify a weak link in their team, with the majority pointing out Toni Kroos starting as a holding midfielder.

The Spanish giants have been plagued with injuries and fitness-related issues in recent weeks and such have seen a couple of players be fielded out-of-position.

One such player currently is German central midfielder Kroos, who has to start at the base of the midfield due to the absence of defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The France international reportedly picked up a calf injury earlier this month and has been out of action for a few games.

Although Tchouameni returned to training on Wednesday (January 25), the game against Real Sociedad seemed too close for him to make a return.

As such, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has opted to deploy Kroos at the base of the midfield for the game. Some fans weren't too pleased with the selection and expressed their feelings on social media. Here are a few reactions.

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Ancelotti speaks about the controversy surrounding Real Madrid star Tchouameni and his NBA visit

Aurelien Tchouameni was criticized by a section of Real Madrid fans after he admitted to being in Paris for an NBA game while Los Blancos faced Villarreal in the Copa del Rey.

Tchouameni was spotted watching an NBA game after only returning from an injury that had kept him out of action for a few games.

Speaking during an interview, Ancelotti said (via Football Espana):

“He has made his apology public. I think he was wrong. He’s a young guy who's been wrong once. It's over.

He also reacted to their game against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid went on to win the encounter by 3-1, with the likes of Eduardo Camavinga putting up an impressive performance.

Ancelotti said:

“We have taken into account everything that happened against Villarreal. The reaction was very good, but we analyzed the big mistakes of the first half.

“We have evaluated everything. You cannot train, only recover and watch videos so that mistakes are not repeated."

He further concluded that he expects to have three of his first-team players back from injury after the Copa del Rey clash against Atletico Madrid.

He said:

“Dani Carvajal, Tchouameni and David Alaba could return next week, we are close to getting them back."

Real Madrid are currently second in the La Liga table, six points behind table-toppers Barcelona.