Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti’s Press Conference Following Real Madrid's Defeat vs Real Betis
Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat against Real Betis away from home on March 1. Considering the closely contested La Liga title race, the slip-up could turn out to be decisive.
Brahim Diaz gave Los Blancos an early lead (10'). However, Johnny Cardoso (34') and Isco (54') turned the game on its head, helping Betis to three points.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after the match. Read on to know what he said (via Real Madrid).
🏁 @RealBetis_en 2-1 @RealMadridEn
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 1, 2025
⚽ 10' @Brahim
⚽ 34' Cardoso
⚽ 54' Isco (p.)
👉 @Emirates pic.twitter.com/a0S99qjcpd
Q: On the loss
Ancelotti: It was a poor game. We started well, but then we couldn't keep up the initial tempo in terms of attitude and commitment and we lost control of the game against a team that played better and deserved the win. It's a big blow. We have to react. Losing at this stage of the season is hard, because every team competes and we didn't do well in this game.
Q: Whether the team was content after taking the lead
Ancelotti: I'm not in the players' heads. We weren't able to maintain the good position on the pitch in the first 20 minutes. We lost 27 balls in the first half, too many losses, and Betis got back into the game.
Q: On doubts about the Champions League
Ancelotti: If we play like that, we're not going to win on Tuesday, that's pretty clear. Hopefully, this match will serve as a wake-up call, a lesson. It seemed that the team was much more organised and compact in recent times, but today we weren't able to do that like in previous games.
Q: On taking off Kylian Mbappe
Ancelotti: He had a problem with his tooth and hasn't trained much. He wasn't at his best. So, to avoid problems I chose to take him off and bring on Endrick, who is in good form.
Q: On his team's defence
Ancelotti: When you can't press, the forward line is there to block passes between the lines and, when you're good, as in the first half, to put pressure on the back four. For the first 20 minutes, we did well and for the other 70 minutes we did poorly.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.