Real Madrid lost the Derbi madrileno at Atletico and with it the top of the table. Coach Carlo Ancelotti knew exactly why – ex-Blanco Morata was delighted after his brace.
After five perfect match days in terms of points, Real Madrid have been hit in La Liga. The royals lost clearly in the Derbi madrileno at Atletico, of all places. Coach Carlo Ancelotti was nevertheless calm at the press conference and took the “deserved” defeat on his head. The fact that Real “didn’t start well” and “didn’t defend well” was down to him.
Ancelotti explained that he had visibly failed to get a grip on his team’s biggest weakness so far this season, oversleeping in the opening minutes (“it has happened to us several times”). Against the Colchoneros, they were also “susceptible in their own penalty area”.
“Line-up will not change “
The fact that Real did not shine offensively without a striker was therefore not something Ancelotti wanted to let stand. Attacking Joselu “didn’t start because I wanted to have more ball control with an extra midfielder”. The otherwise so strong Jude Bellingham could not be held responsible for “a defensive vulnerability that we did not have in the first games”. He said the Blancos had not played well “but not because of the line-up” and that the alignment would “not change. “
“Copy” of goals conceded an annoyance – praise for Atletico
Ancelotti was clear towards his defence, faulting Atletico for allowing three goals just after the break – “as many as in all the games before” at that stage. The Blancos had not stood securely, “not compact” as usual. “And Atleti took advantage of that,” Ancelotti was annoyed. Mind you, with three headed goals that were “a copy” of each other.
Atletico’s typical defensive performance, which is characterised by compactness, gave Real the rest. Despite the lack of efficiency up front, Ancelotti repeated that the problem lay in the defence. After all, they were up against one of the “best defensive teams in the world”. “It’s not easy to find spaces there. “
Former Real striker Alvaro Morata, on the other hand, who had decided the game with a brace, spoke of a “timely vitamin boost” for morale after Atletico had conceded a last-minute goal in the Champions League and lost clearly and deservedly to Valencia in the league.
Morata could have left in the summer
About himself, Morata stated that he accepts the criticism that keeps coming up. The 30-year-old even said he could have left the club in the summer. Instead, he now feels “more important than last year” – and wants to end his career “with a title with Atletico”. Because of the support for him and the great atmosphere in the team, that is already possible this season. The “naturally feel-good” victory against the arch-rival after the “swoon in Rome” could have been an important step in this direction.
