Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has taken the blame for his team’s hapless display in the 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga. The defeat not only ended Los Blancos’ perfect start to the season but also saw them slip to third place in the league standings, behind leaders Barcelona and second-placed Girona.
Real Madrid Lacked Cohesion Against Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid made the short trip to the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium for their La Liga Matchday 6 clash with local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday night (September 24). The Merengues found themselves 2-0 down within 18 minutes but got back into the contest in the 35th minute, courtesy of a sensational Toni Kroos strike.
Unfortunately for the traveling fans, their team failed to build to their first-half momentum and conceded the third goal of the night in the 46th minute. The visitors created a few chances here and there but lacked clinicalness in the final third. Atletico benefitted from Madrid’s lackluster defending which allowed them to barge into the box with little difficulty.
Carlo Ancelotti Takes Blame For Defeat
After the game, Madrid manager Ancelotti defended his team’s novel 4-3-1-2 formation, saying the poor defending let Madrid down.
“We didn’t start well or defend well. When they went 2-0 up, they played the game they wanted to. Atleti did better than us in this sense,” he said (via Diario AS).
“I think the system was not a problem, but rather defensive fragility. We were not compact and they took advantage of it.”
The Italian refrained from blaming any players and took responsibility for his team’s loss. He concluded by adding:
“When the team doesn’t do what it has to do, it’s my responsibility. I shoulder that, it’s my fault.”
Real Madrid played without their best attacker Vinicius Junior on Sunday night, with the Brazilian still deemed not fit enough to feature in such a high-octane encounter. Without Vinicius Junior to stretch Atletico’s attack, Madrid failed to penetrate through the middle and ultimately fell to an embarrassing defeat.
Luckily for the All Whites, they will get the chance to recover swiftly from the defeat, with Las Palmas coming to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday evening (September 27).
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