Ancelotti: “Our problem was more in defence than in attack”

Following Real Madrid’s 3-1 derby defeat at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Carlo Ancelotti analysed his team’s performance and stated: “It wasn’t a good night. We didn’t start well. We didn’t defend well. We were fragile in our own penalty area. We haven’t been this fragile during the rest of the season, as we’d only conceded three goals all season but today they scored three goals against us in basically half a game. Once they went 2-0 up, we started to play the game we had wanted to play. By the end of the first half, we were starting to play well. But, the 3-1 goal killed the game.”

Ancelotti on Real Madrid’s poor defending

Asked about the goals that Real Madrid conceded, he said: “Their three goals were like photocopies. We weren’t well positioned. We weren’t compact for any of the three goals. Meanwhile, Atlético are very solid and organised defensively. They’re strong in the duels, so it’s hard to find space. We tried some long-range shots too. But, I don’t think our problem was in attack. Our problem was more in defence than in attack. We tried to score with our quality and filtering passes, but the difference was that Atlético went two goals up to then make it a much more difficult game.”

Ancelotti on conceding early goals

Not for the first time this season, Real Madrid conceded early on. Discussing this specific problem, Ancelotti stated: “We’ve spoken about this already. It’s now four times when the opponent has gone ahead early and three times we were able to come back.”

Ancelotti on Joselu’s absence

Asked to explain the system and the decision to drop Joselu, Ancelotti stated: “The system didn’t change. It won’t change. We started with the same diamond formation, with Modrić as the attacking midfielder and Bellingham as a second striker. Joselu didn’t play because we thought we’d have more control with another midfielder there. Kroos and Modrić both started because of the need for another midfielder, while Tchouaméni was rested because he had been playing a lot of matches, with his national team too. Maybe I could have done better with the system. When the team doesn’t do well, it’s my responsibility.”

Ancelotti on Camavinga’s disallowed goal

Discussing the disallowed Camavinga goal, he simply said: “I didn’t see it. They said Rüdiger was offside, but I haven’t seen it.”