Carlo Ancelotti said he was “not the best but not the stupidest” as he deals with the fallout from Real Madrid’s recent heavy defeat to Clasico rivals Barcelona.
The Italian team were dismantled 5-2 in the Supercopa de Espana final in Jeddah despite taking a fifth-minute lead through Kylian Mbappe. It was Madrid’s second defeat of the season against their major opponents, with October’s 4-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu still fresh in the minds of many fans.
Ancelotti was less impressed with his players’ performance, admitting his side had “defended poorly” and “didn’t play”, but took a very different stance as he reiterated his side’s shortcomings ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey The round of 16 duel with Celta Vigo was mentioned.
“This is a press conference and not a debate. “I have already had the debate with my technical staff and my players to find the best possible solutions,” warned Ancelotti.
“I don’t think this is the right place to open a debate. I don’t follow the wave of criticism that one day you’re the best and the next you’re the stupidest. Luckily, thanks to my experience, I did that.” I don’t think I’m the best, but I don’t think I’m the stupidest either.
“It was a step backwards, but we have to look forward because we are still in a good position in every competition. It hurt us a lot, but it didn’t sink us.”
“Obviously it was a bad game, we made a lot of mistakes. We analyzed it, evaluated it and found solutions. A month ago we won the Club World Cup.” [FIFA’s Intercontinental iteration] and six months ago we won the Champions League.
“We compete against each other. We lost a game, it was a final, it hurt, but we won a lot of finals. It was a tough loss, but it was just one game. We do well in every competition and will keep fighting.”
Ancelotti has often bounced back from adversity and boasts one of the most impressive management resumes in football history. The 65-year-old has won a record five Champions League crowns and won the domestic title in each of Europe’s top five leagues – Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and PSG have all enjoyed domestic success under his leadership.