Ancelotti: “I got it wrong tonight, but I don’t usually get it wrong twice”

Real Madrid were heavily defeated by Barcelona on Sunday night and Carlo Ancelotti accepted responsibility for the 4-0 loss. He admitted he got his tactics wrong, but said he doesn’t think that will happen again. As he stated in the post-match press conference: “I used Modrić as a No.10 to try to bring the ball out well from the back and find space behind the lines with Rodrygo, Valverde and Vinícius. The formation wasn’t good and didn’t work. I didn’t come up with a good enough scheme. It’s no problem for me to take responsibility. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong. I got it wrong. But, I don’t think this loss will affect us going forward. I can get it wrong once, but I don’t usually get it wrong twice.”

The coach continued, apologising to the fans: “We know how important a match against Barcelona is for the fans, so we feel low. We’re sorry. But, we have to continue and train well over these next two weeks, staying calm and maintaining balance. We have time to digest this loss. We still have nine points more than the second-placed team.”

Despite Karim Benzema being absent, Ancelotti didn’t want to use that as an excuse. He explained: “We didn’t lose because Karim wasn’t available. We tried to press higher up, but they brought it out well and then it was even tougher when they went ahead. The start of the match was quite good, but we really struggled and risked after they went ahead.”

Ancelotti on a possible red for Aubameyang

The Italian didn’t want to use the refereeing as an excuse either, refusing to be drawn into a debate on whether or not Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should have been sent off for an early challenge on Toni Kroos. Asked a question about that, he replied: “I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t want to make excuses. I set us up badly for the game, but now we have time to recover.”

Ancelotti on Bale’s absence

Gareth Bale didn’t make the squad in the end and Ancelotti was asked for a comment about his absence. He said: “Gareth didn’t feel well after yesterday’s training match and couldn’t play. I don’t know what’ll happen with Wales. They’ll decide if he can play.”