Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated on Friday that “lack of intensity in defense and slow ball circulation” are two of the primary reasons for his team’s poor performance this season. Real Madrid is second in La Liga with 18 points, three behind champions Barcelona, but has yet to ignite the new season, despite the long-awaited arrival of star attacker Kylian Mbappe this summer. On Wednesday, the reigning Liga and European champions suffered their first Champions League defeat to French team Lille. “We are still not up to par, but we are not far away,” Ancelotti stated in his pre-match news conference before Madrid’s home encounter against Villarreal.
“I believe certain players have not hit their peak performance; this is natural, and we must be patient. We have a lack of effort in defense and offense and poor ball circulation, which we need to work on.”
The Italian was philosophical while analyzing his side’s 1-0 setback against Lille, adding that “sometimes a defeat brings you back to reality, and I liked how the players reacted.” Ancelotti also addressed worries about Real’s depth: “I don’t believe there aren’t enough players to play with. “We have a lot of variety and even if we have not shown all our quality, nothing is missing”.
Listen to the newest songs only on JioSaavn.com. On Saturday, Madrid will host third-placed Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu. This season, the Yellow Submarine have lost only one La Liga game, 5-1 at home to Barcelona.