Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed criticism following his side’s 5-2 defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The defeat, which followed a 4-0 league defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu by their arch-rivals earlier in the season, led to a harsh assessment of Ancelotti’s tactics and the commitment of his players.
However, the experienced Italian manager remains unfazed by the criticism and refused to lay the blame on his players.
He said: “This is a press conference and not a discussion, I have already had the discussion with my coaching staff and my players to find the best possible solutions.
“I don’t think this is the right place to open a discussion. I don’t follow the wave of criticism, that one day you’re the best and the next you’re 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 forward 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 lot of mistakes. We analyzed it, evaluated it and found solutions.
🎙️ @MrAncelotti 🎙️
📺 Press interview ➡️ #RMPlay#LaCopaMola— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 15, 2025
A month ago we won the Club World Cup and six months ago we won the Champions League. We compete. We lost a game, it was a final, we were hurting but it was only a game. We are doing well in every competition and we will continue to compete.”
Kylian Mbappe was on the scoresheet for Madrid in the match, despite being on the losing side.
The Frenchman had a good game in Saudi Arabia, drawing praise from Ancelotti, who says all the striker needed was time to adapt to his new club.
He added: “All my players have my full support, especially those who are not showing their best form at the moment.
“He needed time to adapt to the team to show his best form physically. Now he is in his best form and the team must take advantage of that.”
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season.
