Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed the wave of criticism following his team’s 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The loss, which followed a 4-0 league defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu to their arch-rivals earlier in the season, has led to a harsh evaluation of Ancelotti’s tactics and his players’ commitment.
However, the experienced Italian manager remains unphased by the criticism and refused to place blame on his players.
He said: “This is a press conference and not a debate, I’ve already done the debate with my technical staff and my players to find the best solutions possible.
“I don’t think this is the right place to open a debate. I don’t follow the wave of criticism, that one day you are the best and the next you are the dumbest. Fortunately, thanks to my experience, I have balance. I don’t think I’m the best but I don’t think I’m the dumbest, either.
“It was a step back but we have to look ahead because we are still in a good position in every competition.
“It hurt us a lot but it didn’t sink us. Obviously it was a bad game, we made a ton of mistakes. We analysed it, evaluated it and found solutions.
🎙️ @MrAncelotti 🎙️
📺 Press conference ➡️ #RMPlay#LaCopaMola— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 15, 2025
A month ago we won the Club World Cup and six months ago we won the Champions League. We are competing. We lost one game, it was a final, it hurt but it was just one game. We are doing well in every competition and we are going to continue fighting.”
Kylian Mbappe was on the scoresheet for Madrid in the game, despite being on the losing side.
The Frenchman had a good game in Saudi Arabia, sparking praise from Ancelotti, who says all the forward needed was time to adapt to his new club.
He added: “All my players have my full backing, especially those that are not showing their best form right now.
“He needed time to adapt to the team to show his best form physically. Now he is in his best form and the team has to take advantage of that.”
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season.
