Raúl Asencio could only sit and watch as Real Madrid conceded five goals to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Real Madrid's defensive injury woes opened the door for 21-year-old Raúl Asencio to debut for the first team back in November. With Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni sidelined, the center back went from playing for Real Madrid Castilla to playing against Liverpool at Anfield within less than a month. And he impressed in each appearance, even in Los Blancos' defeats.
Yet once Tchouaméni returned from injury, the Frenchman took Asencio's spot in Real Madrid's backline, sending the talented youngster to the bench. Real Madrid got bye against inferior teams with Tchouaméni, a natural midfielder, playing alongside Antonio Rüdiger, but were exposed against threatening attacks, like Athletic Bilbao and Atalanta.
The glaring warning signs were there, but Ancelotti still left Asencio on the bench in the Spanish Super Cup final, which turned out to be Real Madrid's worse defensive performance in recent memory. Even more surprising was the center back did not feature in the match until Real Madrid let in goals.
