Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was left visibly frustrated after his team’s lacklustre performance in their 1-1 draw against Mallorca in the LaLiga season opener. Ancelotti attributed the team’s struggles to mental lapses rather than physical fitness issues.
Ancelotti said his players lacked focus after taking an early lead through Rodrygo in the 13th minute but allowing Mallorca to rescue a point with a Vedat Muriqi header after the break.
“Today I am not happy. I think we could have been done much better,” Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference.
“We need to be more concentrated, work better as a group… It’s not a fitness problem, it was mental. I don’t want to make excuses for anything. We had to do better and show more attitude.”
Real Madrid vs Mallorca: Match Report
Ancelotti was particularly critical of his team’s defensive performance, emphasising the need for a more disciplined approach. He suggested that Real could have easily lost due to their own blunders and urged his players to learn fast from Saturday’s mistakes.
“We started the game well, we took the lead and we had chances to score the second, but in the second half we lacked balance,” he noted. “It was a game we could have lost because we didn’t have balance. It wasn’t a good game. We are a very attacking team and defensive balance is a fundamental part of the way we are built.”
The coach highlighted the importance of collective commitment in defence, stating that the team’s inability to win the ball back and press after losing possession was a key issue.
“When we talk about defending, we are talking above all about collective commitment. The balance is found with the players thinking about the same thing. When we have to win the ball back we have to think about it all together,” Ancelotti explained.
Ancelotti’s comments underscored the need for Real Madrid to quickly address these mental and tactical issues if they are to succeed in the season ahead.