Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti's Post-Match Press Conference Following Real Madrid's 2-1 La Liga Loss
Real Madrid failed to go level on points with Barcelona, losing 2-1 to Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu. This means Barca can go six points clear with a win over Real Betis later.
Los Blancos fell behind early in the game, minutes after Vinicius Jr. missed a penalty. The Brazilian leveled early in the second half but could not find the winner. However, Los Ches did, scoring a stoppage-time winner thanks to Hugo Duro.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after the match (via Real Madrid).
It's more difficult to fight for La Liga now, but we want to do well until the end because we still have a chance. We have to keep fighting until the last game.Carlo Ancelotti
Q: On penalty takers
Ancelotti: It's been a tough season for penalty takers. Bellingham missed against Valencia, Mbappé in Bilbao and against Liverpool, and Vinicius also missed against Atlético. Today I wanted to give him the confidence to take it, and he missed that one too.
Q: Match Assessment
Ancelotti: During the match, we created a lot of chances. We were very close to scoring goals, but we lacked a bit of effectiveness and ball recovery. We conceded little, but opposing teams don't need to work hard to score against us. They scored against us from set pieces, and in the end, we took risks to win the match, and they scored against us on a counterattack.
Q: On Fran González's debut and the available goalkeepers
Ancelotti: Courtois trained today and felt good; he'll train tomorrow. We didn't want to take any risks with Lunin , either, and he'll have two or three more days to recover. Then we'll see on Tuesday because I think we'll have both options.
Fran González makes his debut in an official match.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 5, 2025
Q: On the defense
Ancelotti: We did well offensively, creating many chances, but we lacked effectiveness. Defensively, we could have done better, not so much because of Valencia's chances but more because of our ball recovery, because we struggled.
Q: On Vinicius Jr.
Ancelotti: Vinicius is focused on what he's doing. He may do it well or poorly, but he always gives his all.
Q: On self-criticism
Ancelotti: You have the right to criticize whatever you want, as I do about how I saw the game. We've had deserved defeats this season, but today's defeat wasn't. There was no lack of attitude today.
7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/9XclEfMLFj
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 5, 2025
Q: On Arsenal
Ancelotti: We missed the opportunity to fight harder for the league . The game against Arsenal will be different because they'll attack more, and we have to be more solid. We also have to be more effective in front of goal.
Q Will Mbappé become the first penalty taker?
Ancelotti: We'll see.
Q: On the Demanding Schedule
Ancelotti: It's a very demanding schedule, and you have to endure it. There are no easy matches; we've fought in every one, and we're going to try to bring out our best. Sometimes we're capable of doing it, and other times we're not.
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Jordan Merritt is a freelance soccer writer who covers Real Madrid CF On SI. He is an obsessive soccer fan and an Arsenal supporter.
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