Ancelotti: "Valverde at right-back meant Asensio could play in the middle"

Real Madrid dropped their first points at home on Saturday night and Carlo Ancelotti discussed the draw with Villarreal with the press after the match.

He said: “This is wasn’t our best match of the season. Villarreal won the ball a lot and it was difficult. But, I don’t think our line-up was wrong for tonight. I think it was the right one.”

Asked in more depth about his line-up, especially the decision to play Fede Valverde at right-back, he said: “He can play anywhere. He’s not a right-back, but this meant I could put Marco Asensio in the middle, between the lines like the other night.”

Concluding, Ancelotti was asked about the midfield and about Casemiro and Luka Modrić. He said: “They had a tough time because of Villarreal’s press and having to cover a lot of ground, but it wasn’t due to fatigue. When Modrić moved further forward in the second half, it was better.”