Real Madrid stumbled in their league opener in Mallorca (1-1) and Carlo Ancelotti spoke of the lack of balance, as well as the need for more defensive commitment. He was not too satisfied with the victory against Valladolid at the Bernabéu (3-0), and even less so this Thursday in Las Palmas, where his team collected another draw (1-1) that leaves them four points behind Barcelona after only three games. The Italian coach made an almost complete correction at the Gran Canaria stadium: “The game is slow, there is not much movement, and the ball reaches the forwards when the team is already closed. Without the ball it is difficult for us to be compact, we leave space between the lines…”, he explained. “Everything more or less the same as what happened against Mallorca. I have not seen any improvement in the team. We have to find a quick solution, and I think we will find it.”
After the criticism, Ancelotti was the first to point out the need for improvement: “I have to be clearer about the strategy, to give clarity to the players,” he acknowledged. “I have to find the solution. The players cannot find it. When there is a problem, it is the coach who has to take responsibility for finding the solution. I think I will find the solution, so that the team can play well again and be solid.”
He insisted, as in Mallorca, on pointing out the collective problems he sees when defending: “When we have the middle block, the team is not compact. There is a lot of distance between the lines: the midfielders, the forwards, the defenders… We did very well with the high pressure.”
He also pointed out problems in attack, similar to those he pointed out after the match against Valladolid: lack of mobility and slowness in circulation. He has identified the weaknesses, he said: “Fortunately these three games have shown me many things that are not going well and that is where we have to look for an improvement.” He does not have much time to work. Real Madrid play again on Sunday, at the Bernabéu against Betis (9:30 p.m., Dazn), and that same night they will be without most of their players, who leave Madrid for their national team camps for the international commitments of the first FIFA window. Some will not return until Friday, September 13, hours before the next League match, which will be on the 14th or 15th against Real Sociedad in San Sebastián. Then, the Champions League opener comes quickly, which will be on the 17th, 18th or 19th. “We have to fix it soon. We can’t drop points like we have in the last two away games,” he said.
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