Ancelotti: "We started well, but then we lost control of the game"
"Hopefully, this match will serve as a wake-up call, a lesson," added the coach.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at the Benito Villamarín and discussed the Betis-Real Madrid game on matchday 26 of LaLiga: "It was a poor game. We started well, but then we couldn't keep up the initial tempo in terms of attitude and commitment and we lost control of the game against a team that played better and deserved the win.”
“It's a big blow. We have to react. Losing at this stage of the season is hard, because every team competes and we didn't do well in this game.”
Were they content with 0-1?
“I'm not in the players' heads. We weren't able to maintain the good position on the pitch in the first 20 minutes. We lost 27 balls in the first half, too many losses, and Betis got back into the game.”
Doubts ahead of the Champions League tie
“If we play like that, we're not going to win on Tuesday, that's pretty clear. Hopefully, this match will serve as a wake-up call, a lesson. It seemed that the team was much more organised and compact in recent times, but today we weren't able to do that like in previous games.”
Mbappé
“He had a problem with his tooth and hasn't trained much. He wasn't at his best. So, to avoid problems I chose to take him off and bring on Endrick, who is in good form."
The defence
“When you can't press, the forward line is there to block passes between the lines and, when you're good, as in the first half, to put pressure on the back four. For the first 20 minutes, we did well and for the other 70 minutes we did poorly."