Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager, criticized his team’s lack of balance and poor defending in a 1-1 draw at Mallorca in the La Liga season opening on Sunday.
Ancelotti claimed his team lacked concentration after grabbing an early lead through Rodrygo in the 13th minute but allowed Mallorca to rescue a point with a Vedat Muriqi header after the break.
“Today, I am not happy; I believe we could have done much better,” a visibly angry Ancelotti said at a press conference.
“We needed to be more focused and work better as a group… It wasn’t a fitness issue; it was a mental one.
Calls for Improvement and Defensive Concerns
I do not want to make excuses for anything. We needed to improve our performance and attitude. We can learn a lot from this match because it clearly shows where we may run into trouble.
Ancelotti was particularly critical of his team’s defense, stating that he requires a more disciplined performance due to a system that features four attacking players up front, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham.
He claimed that Real could have easily lost because of their own errors and urged his players to learn quickly from Saturday’s mishaps.
Collective Responsibility
We started the game well, took the lead, and had chances to score again, but in the second half, we lacked balance, according to Ancelotti.
We could have lost the game if we hadn’t maintained our balance. It could have been a better game. We are a very attacking club, and defensive balance is an important aspect of how we are built.
We struggled to steal the ball and press after losing the possession. When we talk about defending, we are primarily concerned with collective commitment. The balance is achieved when all players are thinking about the same thing. When it comes to regaining control of the ball, we must consider everything at once.
Conclusion
It is a problem for everyone, not just the strikers, midfielders, and defenders. It is the fault of a team that did not recognize that this was a key aspect of the game.
Holabet News is your trusted online betting site in Singapore. Your winning journey starts here!