Real Madrid has experienced another frustrating evening this season. On a trip to San Mamés to play against Athletic Bilbao, Carlo Ancelotti’s team was defeated 2-1. After the loss, the Madrid coach faced the press.
And that’s 5 for Real Madrid. After losses to Lille, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Liverpool, the Madrid side suffers yet another defeat in four months of competition. After a less-than-convincing win over Getafe last Sunday on matchday 15, Carlo Ancelotti’s team had been expected to deliver a strong performance against Nico Williams’ Athletic Bilbao, who remain one of the best teams in Spain. In this advanced match of matchday 19, the Madrid team disappointed. Still without Vinícius Júnior, the team showed no attacking bite.
For Ancelotti, a draw would have been fair
Despite Jude Bellingham’s all-around efforts to fill in the many gaps in the team, Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappé did not make things easier against the Basques. After 90 minutes, Real Madrid lost 2-1, allowing FC Barcelona to extend their lead at the top of the table. As anger grew among Madrid supporters, Carlo Ancelotti faced the cameras of Madrid’s television to deliver his first impressions. As usual, the 65-year-old coach tried to protect his players.
According to the Madrid coach, the defeat wasn’t deserved against the Basques. “I think the match was balanced. Athletic Club at home is a dangerous opponent, but I believe a draw would have been fair considering what both teams did. Our second half was better than the first. We could have gotten a better result, yes, but now we continue to fight and focus on Saturday,” Carlo Ancelotti explained.
Moreover, the coach refused to criticise Mbappé for his second penalty miss in two weeks. “I haven’t spoken to him. You can’t judge a match on a missed penalty. Sometimes you score a penalty, sometimes you don’t. He’s sad. But it can happen.”
“We played in difficult stadiums”
Still speaking to Real Madrid TV, Carlo Ancelotti refused to establish a hierarchy for penalty takers. “A change of penalty takers? No, there are three: Bellingham, Vinícius, and Mbappé.” Today, as defeats continue to derail the club’s plans to win trophies this season, the 65-year-old Italian coach believes there’s work to be done, even as he talks about the stadiums in which these defeats occurred.
“Five defeats? We know, we need to improve. We are not as solid as last season. We have to keep working, that’s the key. We’ve played in difficult stadiums,” confided Ancelotti, conveniently overlooking the two losses at the Santiago Bernabéu (against Barça and AC Milan). In any case, the team’s performance on Wednesday suggests there are serious concerns for the rest of the season, especially when Vinícius Júnior is not available.
Next Saturday, the match against Girona, who are no pushovers, promises to be thrilling. Should another setback occur, it will be time to seriously reconsider the technical staff’s ability to turn the negative trend around this season.
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