Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
Real Madrid climbed to the top of the La Liga table after securing a stunning 3-2 comeback win over UD Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having gone behind two goals in the first half, Los Blancos mounted a spirited fightback in the second period as goals from Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., and Dani Carvajal completed a dramatic turnaround, with Carlo Ancelotti’s men bagging three points.
Speaking to the press after the game, Ancelotti, who did not make a lot of changes to the lineup, admitted that he got it wrong and he needed to rotate more.
“It was a strange match. We played very badly in the first half, with little energy. The assessment I made was wrong, I played a tired team and we did very badly,” Ancelotti said.
“Then the character of the team in our stadium made us come back from a difficult game with a totally different second half.”
On making three changes at half-time, he said: “The only thing that could be done was to change the dynamic and bring in fresh players. Some players have paid for the extra time against Atlético de Madrid. I had to put out a different lineup.”
There was a lot of controversy in the second half due to three VAR interventions, with Almeria players and managers expressing their displeasure at the calls made.
When asked about his opponents’ complaints, the Real Madrid boss replied: “I understand Almeria’s complaint. They were decisions reviewed by the VAR. I think there were three quite clear decisions.”
“I have seen the actions. The referee is right. The VAR calls him and I think he makes the right decisions,” he added. “I understand, everyone has their own opinion. Everyone played their own game, but all three decisions were correct.”
On whether he was angry with himself at half-time, he said: “With myself. We have to evaluate well the tiredness of the players and I think we didn’t do it well.”
Further criticising the first-half performance, Ancelotti insisted that there were no positives to take away from that, saying:
“Nothing positive. There was a lack of ideas, energy. We started the game very badly. We have to forget that and in the second half, this stadium always gives that push.”
On the whistles from the fans in the first half, Ancelotti said: “Yes, you can’t play the first half like that. They are acceptable. Totally.”
Ancelotti again changed his goalkeeper today, starting with Kepa Arrizabalaga over Andriy Lunin. When asked if it was creating doubts for the players, he replied:
“I don’t think so. They are happy and calm. I don’t usually do it, I did it with [Iker] Casillas and Diego López and hopefully, it will be the same this year.”
Discussing the impact of the players who came on from the bench, the Real Madrid boss added:
“We changed the system. With Joselu and Brahim. Especially with Joselu, we tried to play more on the outside and bring Bellingham closer to the penalty area.
“Vinicius played more on the inside and that allowed Fran García to move up the wing. Ceballos and Camavinga were also important. They showed they could start.”
On whether he was worried about the number of goals Real Madrid are conceding, he added: “It’s something we have to consider. We have to be more solid, more forceful at the back. You don’t always have the energy and strength to come back from two goals down.”
