Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media in the press conference after Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Saturday night, with a goal from Kylian Mbappe cancelling out Atletico Madrid’s questionable penalty, which Julian Alvarez converted. He was asked about the incident, to which he simply replied: “I don’t want to talk about the referee. Don’t ask.”
Ancelotti on the match
“I think we deserved more. It was a very good game in the second half. The first half was totally different. Slower. We came out with good feelings, especially in the second half. The penalty situation affected the team. We played too slowly before. In the second half we took advantage of the width of the field. Vini and Rodry created a lot of danger from the outside. It was a close, competitive match. As I said, we came out of the match with a draw, but encouraged. The team was good in the second half.”
“The VAR blew the whistle for the penalty. The referee was very close and saw it clearly. I saw another penalty in Athletic-Girona… People in football don’t understand this.”
Ancelotti on the way Real Madrid played
“In terms of commitment, the team was good. The team made sacrifices. It was clear what Atlético did after taking the lead. Defend and counterattack. We were good at the back. Tchouameni and Asencio had a great game. Very close to winning.”
Ancelotti on Vinicius Jr’s positioning in the second half
“The idea was to play on the outside in the first half as well. But sometimes, with the block low, Vini goes inside looking for the back. But it is better to be patient and play on the outside. The goal we scored was a one-on-one with Rodrygo and Mbappé scored it.”
Ancelotti on the locker room talk at half time
“We talked about giving the game some space. We came out well in the second half. The team is disappointed because they think they deserved to win. We are happy, we are leaders. It will be a very competitive league. It has been a very intense week. Until Tuesday, we have a quiet week.”
Ancelotti on Dani Ceballos
“Ceballos played very well, as usual. The whole team contributed. Valverde had a great game. On Tuesday we have to see the team that played today, how they recover. It was intense. Those who played today have an advantage.”
Ancelotti’s conclusions on the game before Man City
“The formation may be valid. We played two lines of four, with Bellingham more on the outside. It worked out quite well, I don’t remember Courtois making any saves. Both lines did well. Kylian and Vinicius made an effort to drop back and be with the team.”