New Delhi: Real Madrid didn’t have the best start to the season, ending their opening match against Mallorca with a 1-1 draw in Kylian Mbappe’s debut in La Liga. After the match, manager Carlos Ancelotti didn’t hold back in criticizing his side’s flaws, including not focusing on having a defence.
Ancelotti noted that the side weren’t “concentrating” well enough, having taken an early lead in the game with a brilliance from Rodrygo. However, just eight minutes into the second half, the hosts scored the equalizer. While they were dominating, especially in the midfield, everyone, including Ancelotti, felt that Madrid were the second-best side on the day.
Clearly frustrated with the result, the 65-year-old manager felt that the side might have been fitter, but they lacked the mentality to focus better as a group. While he agreed that the side played in an offensive style, they needed to strike a balance to win games when they were at the top and remarked that the club needed to make some immediate improvements for the upcoming matches. He furthered his point and said balance can only be hit when players think in the same direction.
⚪️ Ancelotti after Real Madrid draw: “We lacked balance”.
“I am not happy with the draw because we could have done better. We needed more attitude”.
“We can learn a lot from this game because it seems clear where we could have a problem”. pic.twitter.com/wEPbV8SDrT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2024
According to Ancelotti, once a ball is won back, the team needs to think in the same direction. It is not an individual who plays the game; a striker, defenders, and midfielders all have to be aligned to the same tactical plan. He ended by saying that Mallorca were a better side than the UEFA Champions League champions and their performance deserved a draw.
While he maintained that the stalemate was a fair result, he wasn’t happy that Madrid were unable to press and win the game in the end. While he accepted some of the draws losses, Ancelotti maintained that the team had enough talent to have won the game. One of the problems both Ancelotti and critics noted was that Madrid were a little too open in the backline, which ultimately saw them fail to capitalize on the early score.
While Madrid played the same starting XI that won the UEFA Super Cup, Ancelotti maintained that, unlike last year, the playing squad will be very rotated. Real Madrid will next play Valladolid, where the La Liga champions will hope for a better outing.
Carlo Ancelotti felt the team didn’t “concentrate” despite scoring early in the game. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
