Shortly before the first half hour of the Celtic-Real Madrid match, Karim Benzema bent down to feel his right knee, and Real Madrid almost took its breath away.
If there is a footballer at Real Madrid without a natural replacement, he is the Frenchman.
The club explored the market in the summer in case it identified a replacement, but without much conviction.
They tried to hire Gabriel Jesús, much to Ancelotti's liking, but the arrival of the Brazilian required Vinicius Jr. to obtain Spanish nationality first, a process stuck since the pandemic.
It was completed on September 2, the day after the market closed.
The coach worried about the possibility of an injury to Benzema, but in the dispatches it was repeated that Rodrygo, who had exploded in the Champions League comebacks, was enough.
However, it was unknown how he would respond if the dreaded loss of the French arrived.
It happened, and Madrid has successfully overcome the trance of his first absence, as Ancelotti summed up after scoring his ninth victory of the season in nine games on Sunday in the Metropolitan derby: "The squad is very competitive, even if Karim is not there, who He could be the most important player in this squad”.
Without him, they have scored 11 goals in four games.
The Italian had Rodrygo's solution in mind since last season, and briefly placed him in that position.
He was the footballer who he saw the most conditions for that gap, even when he still had Jovic, in addition to Mariano and Hazard.
In fact, before reaching Rodrygo, Ancelotti, extremely respectful of hierarchies, had to go through the Belgian.
When Benzema was injured in Glasgow, the seventh came on in his place, while some people around the Brazilian were surprised by the choice.
Three days earlier, after scoring the winning goal against Betis (2-1), Rodrygo had declared his coming of age: "I know I have everything to be a starter," he said.
Ancelotti agreed with him: “Your apprenticeship from him is over.
He is a Real Madrid player for all intents and purposes”.
And he seemed to reveal his vision for when the Frenchman was missing: “He is a special striker.
He can play in all positions.
He is quick and smart off the ball, and effective one-on-one.”
Rodrygo's ability to adapt has decisively contributed to the Brazilian opening a niche for himself at Real Madrid.
He always found himself more comfortable playing on the left.
When he crossed paths with Jorge Sampaoli in his last year at Santos and the Argentine placed him on the right, he went through a period of disgust.
But that versatility, and the demands of the coach to help in defense, gave him revenue when he landed in Valdebebas and met Zidane.
On Sunday, after the derby, Ancelotti also praised this flexibility: “Rodrygo is intelligent, he stands out well, he has a lot of quality, he can play in all positions.
He is not so used to playing as a striker, but he is smart and learns quickly”.
The Italian perceived it early when last season he began to explore possibilities to replace the Frenchman.
In addition to the intelligence that the coach mentioned, Rodrygo has been helped to successfully fill Benzema's gap by the physical progression plan implemented since he arrived at Madrid.
In coordination with the club, his personal trainer, Marcel Duarte, has been giving the footballer greater stability and resistance to shock, while trying not to lose spark.
Since the Brazilian arrived in Madrid, he has gained around seven kilos.
The change has been especially useful these days in which he has played nine, which he did as a starter in the two most demanding games, against Leipzig in the Champions League, and against Atlético in the League.
More weight means more stability when you body to receive from behind and unload, for example.
Rodrygo has been successful in that section, in addition to providing options to the attack with runs behind the defense, like the one that ended in his 0-1 win at the Metropolitano, after an assist from Aurelién Tchouameni.
Although it was not the only occasion in which he conquered that space on the run, combining speed and body.
However, despite Ancelotti's progress and recognition after the game against Betis, when Benzema fell in Glasgow, the Italian called Hazard, who also performed with some ease when spaces opened up, and scored 0 -3.
That led him to start it five days later against Mallorca at the Bernabéu.
There the Belgian was more overcome, and the moment finally came Rodrygo, who accumulates three goals and two assists, almost a goal every 90 minutes.
“The only thing that has changed is that last season I scored goals late and now I started scoring,” he said on Sunday.
He was happy about the figures, but also for having helped the team get to the national team break without Benzema: “It's impossible to replace Karim, but I'm trying.
I think I'm doing fine.
It's a new function because many times I don't have to do what Karim used to do.
I do different things."
The Frenchman will be back for the game against Osasuna on October 2.
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