Ancelotti: “We tried everything we could from the first to last minute”

Real Madrid’s couldn’t overcome Cádiz’s defensive wall on Sunday night and they were held to a 0-0 draw, but Carlo Ancelotti was happy with the performance of his players. Speaking in his press conference after the match, he said: “When we win then I’m very content, even if we play badly. If we play badly and lose then I’m very sad. If we play well and don’t win then I’m just content. So, today I’m content. We tried everything we could from the first to last minute. I think we lacked some quality in the final 30 metres, but I can’t be angry. These matches can happen. There were many positive aspects, with the result the only thing that wasn’t positive.”

Discussing the title race as a whole, the coach was asked if Sevilla – just six point back and with a game in hand – are genuine challengers. To that, he said: “If we look at the table then Sevilla are closest to us. They have a lot of quality, technically and commitment wise. They also have a fanbase that will push that team. Right now they are closest to us and we’ll have to fight with them. But, the teams who are further back will come back too.”

Ancelotti on Hazard’s performance

Eden Hazard played the entire game and Ancelotti analysed the Belgian’s performance, saying: “I think it took him a while to get into the game. He struggled more in the first half. I think he is more comfortable coming inside than staying right and he combined well with Karim Benzema when he came inside. He can be useful for us in the second half of the season.”

Ancelotti on Casemiro’s possible red

Asked about the Casemiro booking in the first half and whether it should have been a red card, the Italian replied: “Red would have been too much. I think it was just a foul to cut out a foul. But, I haven’t seen a replay yet.”

Ancelotti on replacing Casemiro

In any case, Casemiro will now be suspended for the trip to face Athletic Club in Bilbao. However, Ancelotti is more concerned about the absences of Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Rodrygo and Marco Asensio. He said: “It’s not a problem to replace Casemiro because Camavinga can play there. But, we lack almost the entire right side of the team. We’ll need to think about that well, about who to put on the right.”