Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with his Real Madrid team’s display and resilience in their 4-1 comeback win against Espanyol on Saturday, after an error from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saw them go behind.
The Los Blancos gaffer lauded his players’ reaction to pressure as they dominated the contest to earn maximum points following goals from Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe which helped cancel out their Belgian goalie’s early own goal following the restart.
“We did well, with combinations inside, even if it didn’t all work out, we always kept trying,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference.
“In the second half, with the game open… it’s a context that suits us. It’s clear, tonight was rock & roll.
“We started well and reacted well after the 0-1. It was complete.”We played better than in other matches; with more rhythm and generating more chances. It was a good game. At the back, the recovery was good, as was the pressure after a loss.
“We came out with a good dynamic, little by little we are getting back to our best. I am happy.”
Yet to taste defeat in the Spanish top flight for almost a year, Ancelotti insisted that he is satisfied with his side’s performances, sneaking out victories despite having several players injured and others struggling to reach rediscover their form.
“We have now gone 38 games unbeaten and that means that we are doing things very well,” Ancelotti continued.
“However, in this season there is a fact that must be highlighted: we only scored one goal in the first half. It’s something to be aware.
“I have talked about it with the players before the game, to see if I could change this dynamic.
“We couldn’t, but we have played with more intensity.”
Real will host Alaves on Tuesday before facing local rivals Atletico Madrid in a their highly anticipated derby in the Spanish capital next weekend.
