Carlo Ancelotti concerned over Real Madrid’s poor form after defeat by AC Milan

MADRID – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was worried about his team’s performance in a 3-1 Champions League home loss to AC Milan on Nov 5, as they suffered back-to-back defeats at the Bernabeu in all competitions for the first time since 2020.

Real hosted Milan after a humiliating 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in the Clasico over a week ago, and they were again dominated at their own ground in a display that exposed last season’s European champions’ poor defending and lack of firepower.

Ancelotti urged his players to react quickly so that they do not fall too far behind in the hunt for a top-eight finish in the 36-team Champions League table, as they currently languish in 17th place with six points after four games.

“We have to be concerned, the team is not playing well,” the Italian said after the game.

“We need to be more compact, more organised, we’ve conceded a lot of goals... The team is not well organised on the pitch and we need to work on this.

“We have to focus on what we have today, which is a team that is not at its best, and get back to our level, so we can fight for all competitions.”

Specifically, he acknowledged Real’s lack of balance and struggles defensively, as they have conceded nine goals in their last three games – all at home.

Malick Thiaw headed Milan ahead, before Vinicius Jr levelled from the penalty spot for the hosts.

Alvaro Morata then struck against his former side to restore the visitors’ lead before the break and Tijjani Reijnders netted the third to secure the Italian side’s victory.

Ancelotti downplayed the crowd booing players like Aurelien Tchouameni and major summer signing Kylian Mbappe, who have been heavily criticised by fans and pundits over their recent performances, saying his side’s issues are collective rather than individual.

“It is not an issue of motivation or attitude, it’s a collective thing that we need to fix quickly,” Ancelotti added.

“On the pitch, something is missing and we have not been able to show our best version. We have to fix this, but the nights are going to be very long and we have to recover the solidity that we are lacking.

“That’s the problem above all, we’ve conceded too many goals for a team that is built on solidity.”

Milan coach Paulo Fonseca, meanwhile, said he was proud of his players’ effort after their surprise win, their first victory against Real in 15 years.

“We won because the players had the courage to come here and not be afraid of anything, playing the game we wanted,” said the Portuguese, whose side are 18th, also on six points.

“We prepared for a match in which we wanted to keep the ball. In the first half we did important things and in the second half we suffered more, but we deserved to win, no doubt about it.

“Today we showed that an Italian team came to the Bernabeu to play and not to defend alone. And we can still grow a lot.” REUTERS, AFP