Atletico Madrid Manager Diego Simeone subsequently appointed Barcelona best side of La Liga’s best side The Madrid derby on Saturday.
Simeone’s team took a deserved lead against Real Madrid through Julian Alvarez ‘Panenka elf, but Los Blancos appeared after the break and felt frustrated according to Kylian Mbappes Equalizer not to go away with the decisive three points.
The 1-1 draw leaves Real Madrid Top in La Liga, a point in front of Atletico, but Simeone insisted that the third-placed Barcelona is the gold standard in Spain.
“I still exist that Barcelona is the best team in La Liga,” said Simeone after the last whistle.
“They attack very well, they have an incredible speed in their players and play very well as a team. Let’s see if they win tomorrow. It will be fun to enjoy this close race at the top.”
Ancelotti refused to be drawn into a word war with Simeone when he was asked in the comments of the Atletico boss.
“Everyone has their opinion,” said Ancelotti. “It will be a very competitive league. To the end.
“We are happy despite the difficulties we have. There was a picture before the game. With us four ,,,,,,, [Dani] Carvajal, [Eder] Militao, [David] Alaba and [Antonio] Rudiger, welcomed the teammates who entered the field. And that means that we are doing very well despite the difficulties.