“It doesn’t change much” - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti gives honest verdict following UEFA Champions League loss to Liverpool
Manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that Real Madrid’s defeat to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (November 27) doesn’t really affect their qualification chances. The Italian manager believes that even if his side had defeated the Merseyside club, getting into the top eight of the UCL standings would still be difficult.
Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in their fifth Champions League game of the 2024-25 season. They currently sit in the 24th position on the standings with six points. Los Blancos must be ready to get a positive result in the last three group games to increase their qualification chances.
Despite the defeat, Ancelotti remained confident about his team’s qualification chances. He also claimed that the loss to Arne Slot’s side doesn’t significantly affect their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
The Italian said (via Mundo Deportivo):
"We are getting back to being what we want to be. It was a difficult match, that was already known. It's the most difficult stadium in Europe because they have a good dynamic. We competed, we fought. We were in the game until the penalty and then we dropped a bit."
"In the first half, we defended well but we could have taken better advantage of the counterattacks because we had two or three opportunities. I liked the team because we competed well against the toughest opponent in Europe. The result is correct, due to intensity and dynamics they deserved to win and we competed."
Addressing Real Madrid's chances of progressing to the next round, he added:
"The situation hasn't changed much because even if we had won today, it would have been difficult to get into the top eight. We have to qualify and we are going to qualify and compete in the Champions League this year as we have done in previous years."
"This is the way forward, it can't be any other way because we are starting to become a team again, to fight, to compete and to sacrifice. We have to improve things but we have to continue like this and recover players,"
It is important to note that Real Madrid has never failed to progress to the Champions League knockout stage in their history.
Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid star will get the team’s support after penalty loss against Liverpool
Carlo Ancelotti has refused to blame Kylian Mbappe after the latter missed his spot kick against Liverpool. Ancelotti said the former Paris Saint-Germain man is going through a difficult moment but assured him of getting the team’s support.
Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher foiled Kylian Mbappé from the spot in the 61st minute after Luca Vázquez went down under pressure from Andy Robertson. Ancelotti defended the Frenchman's spot-kick miss, saying (via Mundo Deportivo):
"Mbappé competed and fought like everyone else. He didn't score much, he missed the penalty and it's going to be a difficult moment for him but he has everyone's support. He has to get out soon and he's going to get out of this difficult moment soon. After missing a penalty in a game like this, it's normal for the player to be disappointed, but we have to look forward."
Real Madrid will next be in action against Getafe in LaLiga on December 1 while Liverpool will take on Manchester City in a Premier League clash the same day.
