The Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti does not think that James Rodriguez is a like-for-like replacement for Angel Di Maria.

According to the Italian, Di Maria was extremely energetic and he had the ability to make things happen.

However, at the same time, Ancelotti also admitted that the Argentina international used to fail to control his aggression.

When asked if he thinks Rodriguez is the perfect player to fill in the shoes of Di Maria, Ancelotti said, “No, I don’t think so. They don’t play in the similar fashion. So, they can never be ideal replacements for each other.”

“As far as Di Maria is concerned, I think he had tremendous amount of energy, but, yes, he did have the tendency to get wayward at times.”

When asked how it feels to get to the top of the La Liga table despite not having the best start possible to the summer, the 55-year old said, “I am glad with the comeback. We had not started the ideal way as you said, but, this set of players that I am presently working with here at Madrid; they are very, very professional. They know what the team needs from them. They are never shy of taking responsibility and it makes my job easier.”

“There has not been a single instance of me having a clash with anybody in the squad. I just don’t need to be harsh. They all do their job with full dedication and that is what a manager asks for.”

Los Blancos are 2 points clear at the top of the Liga table after 11 games. They have a much higher goal differential as well in comparison to the second positioned Barcelona.
The defending champion Atletico Madrid is at no. 4.