Carlo Ancelotti surprises after the defeat against Arsenal: “The penalty they took from…”

In front of the press after his team’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Arsenal, Carlo Ancelotti attempted to explain the reasons for the downfall.

It’s over for Real Madrid in the Champions League this season. Having barely made it out of the group stage, Carlo Ancelotti’s team fought to eliminate Manchester City, who weren’t in great form during the Round of 16 qualifiers. Against Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals, it took a tense penalty shootout to decide the outcome. And finally, against Arsenal, where they needed to shine to confirm their favourite status, Real Madrid completely collapsed.

Carlo Ancelotti’s candid remarks

Across the two quarter-final legs, the verdict is clear: a 3-0 defeat in the first leg and 2-1 at home this Wednesday. While many were hoping for a comeback, the team’s impotence, criticised by Thibaut Courtois, was once again evident. Approached by Movistar after his team’s elimination, Carlo Ancelotti shared his candid thoughts.

“To change the dynamic, we needed something, maybe the penalty they took away from us… Something, we needed something. But let’s be honest, Arsenal deserved it over the two matches. Football has its happy sides and its sad sides. We’ve often seen the happy side, but today, it was the sad side that struck us. We need to know how to handle it. It happens. It happens to us less often than others, but we must know how to handle it to be better in the upcoming matches,” the 65-year-old coach said in a flash interview, as reported by Marca.

“The day I finish here, there’s only one thing I’ll do: say thank you”

With the Champions League now over and La Liga not going in the best direction, Ancelotti is determined to hold on. “We are now in the fight for the La Liga title. We have a disadvantage (4 points behind Barça), but we have the Clasico to play. There’s also the Copa final and the Club World Cup, in a season that never ends. We must bounce back. Raise our heads and learn from our mistakes.”

After this quick analysis of the situation, the Italian coach addressed the press. There, the Madrid coach, who seems to have lost control, as subtly pointed out by Thibaut Courtois after the elimination, refused to think about his future. “I can’t talk about it now. It could happen, I don’t know. The club may want to make a change. It could be this year, it could be next year. It’s not a problem. The day I finish here, there’s only one thing I’ll do: say thank you. In a day, in a month, in a year. I will thank this club, nothing else.”

Unfazed, Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t mind being pointed out as responsible for the critical situation of Real Madrid this season. “If anyone sees it that way, it won’t change my mindset for the coming days, which is to stay in the fight. I don’t care.” The message is clear.