Carlo Ancelotti says Eden Hazard is aware of exactly why he is being given so little playing time at Real Madrid this season.
Belgium international Hazard has endured a tough time of things across his three years with Madrid, mainly due to fitness reasons.
Despite largely being fit this campaign, however, the 31-year-old has started just one of Madrid's 10 matches in all competitions and has featured only twice as a substitute.
He was an unused sub in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Osasuna, with the likes of Marco Asensio and Mariano Diaz being preferred as Los Blancos chased a winning goal.
Ancelotti stood by his selection calls after the match and has reiterated ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tie with Shakhtar Donetsk that Hazard must fight for his place.
"It is clear that each player knows his situation. I have to explain to them what's going on," Ancelotti said.
"In this regard, Eden has not spoken to me. He has a lot of competition. The situation of his and others is quite clear.
"He understands the situation very well – every player understands his situation very well. There's a lot of competition here."
One player whose place in the side is not up for debate is striker Karim Benzema, who has scored four goals in seven appearances this season.
However, the France international has gone three games without finding the net, either side of a month on the sidelines, and missed a penalty in the draw with Osasuna.
But team-mate Dani Carvajal does not believe that missed spot-kick will play on Benzema's mind when Shakhtar travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
"He's a key player on and off the pitch," Carvajal said. "I don't think Karim is influenced by scoring or missing a penalty.
"He would go away unhappy, but he is above it all. For us he is indispensable, the best in his position
"He's irreplaceable, there's no one like him. Hopefully he can score two or three goals and that penalty will be behind him."
Madrid have won each of their past six games in the group stage of the Champions League, scoring 17 goals and only conceding once in the process.
They are two points ahead of unbeaten Shakhtar in Group F after two rounds of fixtures as they look to retain the European crown lifted in Paris a little over four months ago.
But Shakhtar have won two of their six ties with Madrid in the competition, with that 33 per cent win rate the fourth best of any side against the Spanish giants.
Madrid will be expected to claim a routine victory, though, and Carvajal accepts his side must live with the perennial tag of being favourites to conquer the continent again.
"We know how difficult it is to win the Champions League, I think when teams play us, they see we are in with a chance," he said.
"I don't know how it works, who decides who is favourite. I think in the top four or five, Real Madrid are there.
"I have to respect everyone's opinion. I think we've won five of the last nine, so I don't think it's down to luck."
West Ham finalise Lopetegui appointment after Moyes departure
West Ham have confirmed the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach, following David Moyes' departure at the end of the season.
Moyes' second stint at the London Stadium came to an end with Sunday's 3-1 final-day defeat to champions Manchester City, as the Hammers finished ninth in the Premier League table.
That was their third top-half finish in four full seasons under Moyes, who also led them to the Europa Conference League trophy last year.
However, a section of the club's fanbase continued to criticise Moyes' style of play throughout 2023-24, and it was announced at the start of May that he would not be extending his contract.
Reports immediately suggested Lopetegui was the leading contender to take charge, and it has now been confirmed that he will officially begin working with West Ham on July 1.
Speaking to West Ham's media channels, Lopetegui said he was excited to start building a future at West Ham.
"I feel that we have a fantastic platform," he said. "I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete. We are very ambitious about this.
"I am where I want to be. I am here because I want to be here and, for us, it was a fantastic day when we closed our agreement here because our commitment is 100 per cent to be here.
"We had other opportunities, but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this.
"We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise. That's why we came here, and we are excited by this challenge.
"Of course, we are going to do our best to help the club and the team to achieve the best level and to achieve our aims. I assure the fans that they are going to be key in all our achievements."
Lopetegui walked out of his previous role with Wolves on the eve of the 2023-24 season, having grown frustrated by a lack of transfer activity after saving the side from relegation in 2022-23.
He previously enjoyed stints in charge of Porto, Spain and Real Madrid, also leading Sevilla to Europa League glory and three successive top-four finishes in LaLiga.
Atalanta winning Europa League is a 'fairytale', says Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini hails Atalanta’s Europa League win as a "footballing fairytale" after beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final on Wednesday.
Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick to secure Atalanta’s first-ever major European trophy, and just a second in their history - after the Coppa Italia in 1963.
The Bergamo side also became the first Italian team to win the Europa League since its rebrand in 2009, with Parma in 1999 the last Serie A side to win the UEFA Cup.
Atalanta’s victory also ended a 51-game unbeaten run for Leverkusen in all competitions, topping an already dazzling Europa League.
Gasperini, who is now the oldest coach to win his debut major European final, praised his side for their historic win.
"Hugely proud for all of Italy, because it was a cursed trophy, even if it was only Inter and Roma who made the final over the last 25 years and lost," Gasperini told reporters.
"Having won it with Atalanta is perhaps one of those footballing fairytales that very rarely happens, and it does show there's still room for meritocracy in football.
"There's still room for ideas, and it doesn't only come down to numbers and the super league [clubs].
"We produced a wonderful performance, and we needed to do that against such a top side [in Bayer Leverkusen]. We scored three splendid goals."
Europa League misery will not taint Alonso's Leverkusen pride
Xabi Alonso will not allow Bayer Leverkusen's Europa League final defeat against Atalanta to alter his pride, after their historic 51-game unbeaten run ended on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga champions were eyeing an unlikely treble, with the DFB-Pokal final to come this weekend, but those plans came crashing down in a 3-0 loss to Atalanta.
Ademola Lookman single-handedly powered Gian Piero Gasperini's side to their first title in 61 years, producing an individual performance for the ages with a decisive hat-trick.
European heartbreak marked Leverkusen's first loss this season, with their last defeat coming to Bochum on the last day of the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign, as Alonso's side were finally stopped.
Yet the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder says nothing can take away from Leverkusen's memorable campaign.
"For me the result today does not change one bit how I feel about my players or what we have been doing," the Leverkusen head coach told TNT Sports.
"It hurts because we wanted to lift the trophy but you can't have everything. We lifted the Bundesliga and we have the chance to lift the DFB-Pokal on Saturday."
Leverkusen are the first team to win the league title but lose the UEFA Cup/Europa League final in the same term since Benfica in 2013-14, and the first German side to do since Borussia Dortmund in 2001-02.
"This season and achievements have surpassed all expectations," Alonso continued.
"I was hoping and getting ready to maybe do something great but this has been so much more.
"To achieve what we have for a club like Leverkusen is great. To be in the last week of the season having lifted the Bundesliga and then going for the Pokal too means a lot.
"First year as a coach, it is going quite well!"
A monumental occasion at the Aviva Stadium marked Atalanta's first-ever major European trophy as they became the 10th different Italian side to do so, second only to teams from England (13).
Alonso was unsurprised by the excellence of Gasperini and his Atalanta side, however.
"It is not something they have just done this year, they have been doing it for many years," the Spaniard said, acknowledging the work of 66-year-old Gasperini.
"They are a special team. Normally we get in better positions ourselves but today we could not.
"We were not able to come back and get that back. It was not meant to be.
"The unbeaten run has come to an end but congratulations to Atalanta, they deserve it, so nothing more to say."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
