Real Madrid’s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has responded to his team’s heavy 4-0 defeat against Barcelona in El Clasico, standing firm on his tactical choices despite the disappointing outcome.
Barcelona’s victory at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night was driven by a relentless second-half display.
Robert Lewandowski delivered two quick goals in the space of three minutes, before young talent Lamine Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha added further goals to seal a comfortable win.
With this triumph, Barcelona extended their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings to six points, leaving Los Blancos with ground to make up in the title race.
Despite entering El Clasico on the back of a five-goal thriller against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid struggled to convert their chances.
French forward Kylian Mbappe, making his first appearance in the famed rivalry, was uncharacteristically wasteful, failing to score on multiple occasions and seeing two goals disallowed for offside.
Other Madrid stars, including Jude Bellingham—who is still waiting for his first league goal of the season—and Vinicius Jr, also missed crucial opportunities in a game where sharp finishing could have changed the narrative.
Saturday’s loss not only widened the gap in the league table but also ended Real Madrid’s remarkable 42-match unbeaten run in La Liga.
Speaking after the game, Ancelotti acknowledged his team’s lack of finishing accuracy, especially during the promising first half.
“We played a first half with intensity,” Ancelotti noted. “We could have scored [but] we lacked some accuracy. When they scored they hit two goals that took all of our energy away. We took more risks at the back, and they found a lot more chances on the counter-attack. For 60 minutes we competed very well and we have to forget the last 30.”
Despite the heavy scoreline, Ancelotti remains resolute that the defeat doesn’t spell disaster for Real Madrid’s season.
“The season is very long, we must not give up but learn,” he explained. “We did it last time and now we will do the same to try to come back and compete.”
Ancelotti’s game plan also became a point of interest, especially as he had to make lineup adjustments due to the absences of Rodrygo and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
But the Italian manager, who has overseen some of Europe’s top clubs, stood by his strategy for the game.
“I do not regret my game plan,” Ancelotti affirmed. “I have been in football 48 years, so I’m not wrong when I tell you that the first half was good. It’s different from the loss versus Lille. We were very bad that day. Today we competed.”
With La Liga still in its early stages, Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have ample time to close the gap on their rivals, and the coach remains optimistic about what lies ahead in the season.
