Ancelotti: “We’re a very attacking team, but defensive balance is a fundamental factor”

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media in the press room at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix to give his thoughts on Real Madrid‘s league opener: “We got off to a good start, taking the lead and then had a chance to get the second goal. We didn’t find the balance in the second half. We could have lost as there was no balance at the back. It wasn’t a good game. We need to defend better. We’re a very attacking team, but defensive balance is a fundamental factor”.

Assessment
“I was happy with some of the draws last season, but not today because we could have done a lot better. I don’t want to make excuses for anything, but we just need to do better and with a better attitude. We can learn a lot from this match. It’s quite clear where our problems could come from”.

The substitutions
“Everyone has their own opinion about the substitutions. They’re minor details. I don’t want to comment on that”.

Vini Jr’s and Mbappé’s position
“They change position from time to time. Sometimes Mbappé plays more centrally and sometimes one of the two has to occupy this flank, without a particular plan. It depends on how they feel about it”.

Rotations
“Last year I didn’t rotate a lot at the start of the season. When the Champions League returns I’ll have more chance to rotate. We struggled defensively, we struggled to win the ball back and to press after losing the ball. We have to improve on that. When we talk about the defensive performance, we’re talking above all about attitude and collective commitment”.

The second half
“The problem was that the team was too open. We needed to be more focused, as we normally are, and to be more together. It’s not a physical problem, nor a mental problem. It’s just a problem of thinking about it”.

Balance
“It’s something you can find when the players are thinking about the same thing. When we regain the ball we all have to think about it as a team. It’s a problem for the forwards and the defence. It’s a team problem, and in this match, they didn’t understand that this was a very important factor. Mallorca played very well defensively, better than us. I think the draw is a fair result”.