Carlo Ancelotti has said he is “not the best, but not the dumbest either” as he deals with the aftermath of Real Madrid’s latest heavy defeat to Clasico rivals Barcelona.
The Italian part they were dismantled 5-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah despite taking a five-minute lead through Kylian Mbappe. It was the second blow of the season for Madrid against their great enemies, with October 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu still fresh in the memory of many supporters.
Ancelotti was less than impressed with the performance of his playersadmitted his side had “defended badly” and “didn’t play”, but took a starkly different stance when probed again into his side’s shortcomings in the build-up to the last 16 clash Copa del Rey on Thursday with Celta de Vigo.
“This is a press conference and not a debate. I have already had the debate with my technical team and my players to find the best possible solutions,” warned Ancelotti.
“I don’t think this is the right place to open a debate. I don’t follow the wave of criticism, that one day you’re the best and the next you’re the dumbest. Fortunately, thanks to my experience, I have balance I don’t think I’m the best, but I don’t think I’m the dumbest either.
“It was a step back but we have to look forward because we are still in a good position in all competitions. It hurt us a lot but it didn’t sink us.
“Obviously it was a bad game, we made a lot of mistakes. We analyzed it, evaluated it and found solutions. A month ago we won the Club World Cup (intercontinental iteration of FIFA) and six months ago we won the Champions League.
“We’re competing. We’ve lost one game, it was a final, it hurt us but we’ve won a lot of finals. It was a big loss but it was just one game. We’re doing well in every competition and we’re going to keep fighting.”
Ancelotti has often bounced back from adversity and boasts one of the most impressive managerial CVs in the history of the game. The 65-year-old has won a record five Champions League crowns and won the domestic title in each of Europe’s top five leagues. MadridChelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and PSG have claimed domestic success under his watch.
