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Real Madrid fans have torn into three of their starting XI following a disastrous start to their first match of the La Liga campaign.
The reigning champions were left stunned six minutes into their clash with Levante thanks to a strike from Largie Ramazani, who capped off a superb move from the hosts. New signing Antonio Rudiger was caught napping and lost his man for the goal
Los Blancos put in a dismal display in the first half as they went into the break a goal down. Carlo Ancelotti made five changes from the starting lineup that comfortably dispatched Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this week.
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Dynamic French duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni started together for the first time, while Nacho and new arrival Rudiger started at centre-back. Lucas Vazquez replaced Dani Carvajal at right-back, with many excited to see new signings Tchouameni and Rudiger start for the first time.
However, the pair endured a nightmare first 45 minutes for the reigning European champions. Their performances, along with Camavinga's, have prompted some members of a famously impatient Real Madrid fanbase to call for drastic changes during the clash.
Many Galacticos supporters feel the new generation is not up to the task of replacing experienced stars such as Luka Modric, Casemiro, and David Alaba. Many took to Twitter to voice their displeasure at their team's performance during the first-half:
Real Madrid boss explains plan for new signings
Before the clash with Almeria, Ancelotti was asked about the futures of Rudiger and Tchouaméni, who are the club's only two summer signings.
While Rudiger arrived through a free transfer from Chelsea, Tchouameni came from Monaco by signing a six-year. The France international is reported to have earned a fixed transfer fee of €80 million. Along with other aspects of his deal, the total fee comes to around €100 million (according to MARCA).
Camavinga joined the team last summer itself. He moved from the French club Rennes and played 46 matches for Real Madrid last season, across competitions. He scored two goals and provided two assists in those games.
The former Chelsea defender was used at left-back during their pre-season clash with Barcelona. But the Italian boss confirmed that the 29-year-old would predominantly be used in the center. Ancelotti told Diario AS, as per Football Espana:
“The first match I put him on the left side, but habitually I will put him at centre-back. Only if we have an emergency during the season I know that he is effective playing in that position, he has no problems there, but in order to adapt him, I will use him as a centre-back.”
As for Tchouaméni, the legendary manager said:
“They can play together and they are going to. Both of them are pivotes, but they have different characteristics. Tchouameni has more ability to arrive at the right time and Casemiro is more positional.”
