Ancelotti believes Milan showed their ‘qualities’ due to Real Madrid’s ‘fragility’ | OneFootball

Carlo Ancelotti criticised his Real Madrid team for making things too easy for AC Milan during last night’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders all got on the scoresheet as Milan were able to claim a famous 3-1 win against a club who have not only won the Champions League 15 times but are the current holders.

Not many gave the Rossoneri much of a chance in the Spanish capital and yet it was a performance that has been described as a tactical ‘masterpiece’ this morning, including a five-man defensive line and some clever work opening spaces.

Ancelotti spoke in the press conference room at the Bernabeu after the game to try and pick apart what was a difficult night for his current club against his former one. MilanNews relayed his comments.

What happened?

“It’s going to be a long night for us. We’ve built our strength on team spirit and solidity.”

Was it Vinicius or Mbappe on the left?

“We had many chances, but what stands out is not who plays on the left. The main problem is the defensive phase.”

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Was there a lack of solidity?

“It’s a characteristic of the team, last year we won the Champions League with our solidity. At the moment we are not capable of doing an effective collective work.”

Real Madrid need to get back to winning on Saturday…

“We have to be ready, there’s another game on Saturday. Defensively we can’t be like last night.”

What will happen now?

“The responsibility is the coach’s, but it is important that we all show responsibility. When we win we do it all together, when we lose we must all get up together.”

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Why did you bring off Valverde?

“Because he wasn’t feeling very well, he had a problem with his shoulders. He wasn’t 100%.”

Do you feel like your message isn’t getting through to players?

“No. This is another year. There is a lot of criticism, about the attitude, about the training. But this criticism has already happened before…

“Now we have to work, being aware that the reality now is that we are not doing things well. The key is to find defensive solidity. We are fine with it being a long night. We are confident that we can improve.”

What do you think about the difference between Italian and European football?

“Italian football is very competitive. Today Fonseca felt comfortable because we were too open and he found an advantage.”

The Real Madrid head coach also gave an interview to Sky Italia after the game, bemoaning a lack of cutting edge in the Milan box and ‘fragility’ out of possession.

What didn’t work today?

“There was no reaction and the problems seen against Barcelona remained, there is little solidity at the back and we are too unbalanced. We need to recover the ball and not be fragile.

“Obviously we have to be worried because we are not giving our best. We have to start from the basics: if you are not solid behind the matches can get complicated, sometimes you recover them, sometimes you don’t.”

Your thoughts on Milan?

“They showed all the qualities they have, they are very quick in carrying the ball and in one-on-one situations: they showed it thanks to our fragility.”

Did you miss too many chances?

“Yes, we missed many opportunities, [we were] not very clinical. The lack of defensive structure is evident, which is the basis of the game of football.”