Ancelotti gives good news to Real Madrid fans after Leipzig clash
Real Madrid qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after drawing 1-1 with German team Leipzig yesterday, Wednesday, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the second leg of the round of 16.
Real Madrid’s performance in the match was criticized by everyone, as the German team dominated the match and wasted many chances, scoring one of which would have put Ancelotti and his teammates in big trouble.
After the match, Ancelotti analyzed the match, saying: “There was not enough intensity, and there was not enough caution about the mistakes we made. “I think the psychological aspect was at play here, big time.”
He added: “We were facing a quality opponent, but he came here with nothing to lose. My team played as if they had qualified from the start. Of course, this meant we had to suffer, but the only thing that mattered was that we reached the quarter-finals.”
He continued: “At the end of the first half, I told them that I wanted them to put more pressure on Leipzig. Although I would have liked to exert more energy, the truth is that we played calmly almost the entire match. We played low, but we were slow and not vertical enough when we had the ball. Lots of side passes. It wasn’t the best night for my team – we have to accept that and say ‘I’m guilty’.
He continued: “All of this could happen in the Champions League. We played like this at home against Chelsea two years ago. The difference tonight is that I don’t think we were close to elimination at all. Leipzig is a really good team, but we qualified. “We have a good lead in the league, so, while we can be critical of ourselves, I don’t accept that we need to be that hard on ourselves.”
He ended his speech by giving good news to Real Madrid fans: “It is possible that Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao will return to the quarter-finals, which will be great news.”
