Carlo Ancelotti and his players spoke to the media at the Estadio de la Cerámica after the Villarreal-Real Madrid game on match-day 16 of LaLiga. Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Yellow Submarine and confirmed the team’s difficulty when facing a well prepared team like Villarreal in front of a large and ‘volcanic’ fan group supporting the hosts. Both the coach and the players appreciated the competitive spirit and the great performance of Villarreal while also evaluating the dissatisfactory performance of the Whites. However, they felt there was something the referees could’ve been more tolerant.
Ancelotti expressed himself in the following terms: "The game was evenly matched, competitive, and Villarreal played better than us. We didn't defend well in our own half, we weren't compact and we gave away possession between in the midfield. They played at a high level and we didn't play at a high level defensively. We let our opponents have too much control in aspects we usually do well. We have to focus and solve these problems.”
He added: "It wasn't a great game from us defensively. We were pretty good in the opposition half, but in our own half we should have done better. We were wide open and they took advantage and played into space. That was the problem. Villarreal played better than us and when you play better you deserve to win."
Penalties for handball: "Football has changed in this regard. There’s the rule that if it touches your hand and it’s not pinned to your body, it’s a penalty. Whether or not someone slips doesn’t matter. Both penalties were correctly awarded according to the rules, but football fans don’t like to see it. The rule is there and the referee has to abide by that rule. I can’t say that blowing for these kinds of things isn’t football because I said that in the last press conference and all hell broke loose. All of us who work in football have to get used to it".
Team’s fitness levels: “I think the team looks pretty fresh. They might not all be in the same condition but it wasn’t a physical issue because we really pushed towards the end and the team kept going until the final whistle”.
Militão at right-back: “I didn’t want to play Lucas Vázquez because he played the full 90 in Cáceres. Militão did a great job in that position for Brazil. From an attacking point of view he did very well and defensively, he was not the problem. The team was far too open”.
Meanwhile the Belgian keeper Courtois, assessed the performance at the Estadio de la Cerámica as follows: “We have to stay calm. It's a tough defeat but we're only halfway through the season. We didn't start very well, we lost the ball a lot and let them come into the game. We got to the break at 0-0, with the odd counter and chance we created, but we couldn't finish".
He continued: “We started the second half even worse. I don't know if I got enough on it to turn it onto the post and Mendy was just behind me and took it into the net. You get back into the game from the spot and then minutes later they give another penalty against us for a handball that never was. Handball is so subjective, it's tough to take".
Alaba handball: “I didn't speak to the referee but I saw last week's at Valladolid, which hit his free hand. Today, the one gets given against David, who has one hand still on the ground, because he slipped and was trying to get up. He falls, even if it's his supporting hand, he can't get his hands out the way. We've never seen an example like this. Let's see if they come back and talk to us again in the summer. They can take this as an example and explain it to us. If you give them a penalty that's a little bit contentious as well, because he can't see the ball, then you have to give this one. It's a bit of a case of compensating. Then we weren't able to stay calm enough to see the game out".
“The season is very long and there are a lot of games ahead of us. Even if we had won today and Barcelona lose, it's a three-point cushion. That's nothing in football nowadays. We didn't want to lose and we wanted to start the year in LaLiga by winning. We knew they were a difficult team, a ground where we haven’t won lately and we'll be back very soon in the Copa”, he concluded.
Lucas Vázquez spoke for the press as well: “It was a very open game for both teams. We didn't get anything from the game here because of small details. We have to keep working. In the first half hour we struggled a bit to get the ball out of the box and get clear up front. Sometimes these things happen. Now we have to learn from our mistakes and try to improve".
Alaba's Penalty: "It caught me warming up on the touchline and I didn't have a good view to give my opinion. We hope that what the referee and the VAR decided was right.
Important Game: "It was an important game because there was a direct confrontation at the top. That's why it was important to get the win, but due to different situations it wasn't to be".
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