“It’s almost impossible to reach the top 8”

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti appeared “a little angry” for being an hour waiting to appear at a press conference and rather than the joy for the 5-1 drubbing of Salzburg, he pointed to defensive lapses to be corrected.

“In attack they are all doing well and between them there will never be a problem of scoring goals, between these players. It was a more complicated game at the beginningbut in the end it was a good game with goals. There is a lot of creativity and I focused more on the defensive work of the team because it is the key to success. With Mbappe, Rodrygo and Bellingham there will never be a problem scoring goals. We have to improve in defence,” he said.

The Italian coach pointed to “a problem of concentration, sacrifice and commitment” after a crushing win, insisting on the message that “teams that defend well, win”.

“At the offensive level a lot of creativity is taken into account, how the player sees the play; at the defensive level all the creativity is taken away from youit’s being well positioned, moving and working together having the same thought. Each one has his role, Mbappe’s is not Rudiger’s and each one has to fulfill it. We have improved a lot but we have to keep improving,” he acknowledged.

The Madrid coach played down the importance of Jude Bellingham’s back problems, for which he was substituted on the hour mark, and praised the improvement of David Alabawho increased to 30 minutes his participation in the second game after his serious injury.

“Alaba is very close to playing from the start. He’s had more minutes, it’s a lot of how he feels about starting a game. He’s training well, he’s comfortable and I don’t see him as doubtful. When he tells me he’s ready, I’m going to put him in,” he said.

Finally, he assessed Real Madrid’s options and the difficulty of finishing among the top 8 as they depend on numerous results. “There is not much to do, play the last game, try to win and see how far we get. It seems almost impossible to reach the top 8. We’ll go and beat Brest and see where we are in the standings.”