“Annoyed” Ancelotti calls Madrid “not good from the first minute” in the Spanish Super Cup clash
Carlo Ancelotti has criticized Real Madrid’s defense and said he was “angry about the whole game” after they were defeated Barcelona 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Two-time Super Cup winner Ancelotti was positive about Kylian Mbappe’s performance after the striker scored a brilliant fifth-minute opener but Barca shot through Lamine YamalRobert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde lead 4-1 at half-time in Jeddah.
“We should try to play football because we couldn’t do that in the first half,” Ancelotti told Movistar ASwhen he was asked what he said to his players during the break.
“We took advantage of long balls, but that should have been an option, not the idea. The idea was to play and we didn’t do that. I said we could lose, but not like we did in the first half.”
Madrid vs Barcelona
After Raphinha made it 4-1 in the 48th minute, Madrid received a much-needed boost when Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was shown a red card eight minutes later for interfering with Mbappe.
Rodrygo’s response from a free kick in the 60th minute was the European champions’ comeback and Barca avenged their 4-1 defeat in last season’s final.
“We have to look at reality,” said Ancelotti. “We didn’t defend well. They scored goals very easily. We were not functioning well on either a collective or individual level.
“It makes us sad and disappointed. Our sadness is that of our fans. I don’t want to point fingers at anyone. They didn’t defend well at the back. The team was not compact.
“The game wasn’t good from the first to the last minute. We had a lead and couldn’t create any chances. I’m upset about the whole game.”
La Liga: Madrid schedule
Reigning Spanish champions Madrid are five points ahead of Barcelona in second place The LeagueLeaders Atlético Madrid are one point further ahead.
The Champions League winner will face Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on Thursday (8:30 p.m.) and will host the 14th in the league, Las Palmas, on Sunday (3:15 p.m.).
“There is still a lot of time ahead of us in the season and we have to look forward,” said Ancelotti. “(We will) go home, think and prepare for the game on Thursday.”
