‘Calma’ – Carlo Ancelotti drawn on Mbappé, Haaland & Bellingham being short of their best | OneFootball

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti today urged caution, after being questioned on the performances put forth by three of European football’s leading talents in midweek.

The four first-leg ties in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, of course, played out across Tuesday and Wednesday night.

And an absolute treat was in store for fans and neutrals alike, the fixtures giving rise to a whopping 18 goals.

And yet, whilst a host of the continent’s standout players delivered on the grandest stage this week, a number of others failed to step up to the mark.

Three such stars to have been singled out for criticism owing to their respective performances come in the form of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.

Speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, the subject of this trio looking some way short of their best across the meetings between Real Madrid and Manchester City, and Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, was in turn put to the aforementioned Carlo Ancelotti.

In his response, though, Los Blancos’ headmaster called for calm, in pointing towards the return leg fixtures as a chance for all of Bellingham, Mbappé, and Haaland to showcase their unquestionable talents once more:

“Well, calma. It may be that they did not give their best versions in the first leg, but other games are coming. Be careful with the three you mentioned.”

Conor Laird | GSFN