Carlo Ancelotti Criticises Angel Di Maria, Hails Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Toni Kroos

Carlo Ancelotti has added to Louis van Gaal's criticism of Angel Di Maria by saying he "used to lose control" and botch "important passes" during his time at the Bernabeu.

Di Maria, who moved from Real Madrid to Manchester United in the summer, came under fire from his new manager after posting a disappointing display against Crystal Palace. He held the ball too long, failed to find a team-mate with passes and was eventually sacrificed with 20 minutes to go, bringing a frustrated post-match reaction out of Van Gaal, per David McDonnell of the Mirror.

Ancelotti isn't surprised by Di Maria's irritations, as reported by Onda Cero's Al Primer Toque show (h/t Marca):

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People should think twice before saying that James (Rodriguez) can fill Di Maria's boots, because they're very different players. Di Maria could take matches by storm with his energy, but he also used to lose control sometimes, misplacing important passes.

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Van Gaal's comments after the Palace match summed up a largely disappointing display from United, with the focus on Di Maria's role, per McDonnell:

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Sometimes you cannot dribble, so you have to make it a passing game, and Di Maria is not a player who wants to give a pass every time he gets the ball. But in this case we needed that and not dribbles. Therefore he lost the ball a lot and that was not good for the balance of the team.

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Although United narrowly won the game, Di Maria posted the lowest pass accuracy percentage of the side's outfield starters, sitting at a frustrating 81.8 percent, per WhoScored.com. Squawka also highlighted the player's lack of quality from wide:

Di Maria has largely performed admirably for United, however, scoring three and assisting five in his first nine Premier League games. He was the driving force behind victories over Queens Park Rangers and Everton, while he played an important role in securing a late point against Chelsea.

The Argentinian, alongside United's other new signings, recently came under the spotlight in B/R UK's grading video with Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:

Ancelotti's words are pertinent—Di Maria rarely received the praise he deserved for his Madrid performances last season—but Los Blancos have found a more well-rounded balance without him.

The manager's comments were aired during a wide-ranging interview with radio station Onda Cero, in which he also discussed new Madrid signing Toni Kroos. Ancelotti called the German "another professor," playing on his nickname for Xabi Alonso, who moved the opposite way to Bayern Munich during the summer.

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Kroos has "aced his crash course" in replacing the influential midfielder, as noted by Ancelotti, per the aforementioned station (h/t Marca):

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I've been surprised by the fact that he never gets on edge. He always plays the same way, whatever the pressure. He's very important: a lot of our play goes through him. What's more, he's still very young. He plays at pace, always picks the right pass, doesn't lose the ball and wins back possession.

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Conversation moved beyond Madrid and turned toward former Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish icon failed to make an impact at Barcelona, but Ancelotti indicated he never experienced problems with a player who is widely recognised as one of the world's best.

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"He's only had issues at Barcelona," said Ancelotti, per Marca. "There weren't any at Juventus, Ajax or Milan. I didn't have any problems with him - far from it: I liked him, first and foremost as a person. He's a born winner."

Many would describe Ancelotti in the same manner. The Italian landed Copa del Rey and Champions League success during his first season with Madrid, who are currently top of La Liga. Performances have dramatically improved since the August loss to Real Sociedad and Madrid now appear to be legitimate contenders across all competitions.

Stars such as Di Maria and Alonso have been sacrificed but intelligent management continues to strike a balance which sees the team relentlessly attack without exposing the defence. This is likely to hold the side in good stead for the remainder of the season, which right now, is destined to yield further success for Ancelotti and his improving team.