Carlo Ancelotti rectified his strategy from the previous loss to Barcelona, and they won 3-1. The win takes Los Blancos to the top of the table – three points clear of their closest rival, Barcelona.
There was much talk about the expectations of El Clasico. Barcelona were top of the table with the same points as Real Madrid, but a superior goal difference. The last time both sides met at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona triumphed as they hammered Real Madrid 4-0. The defeat came in March this year, and the Catalan giants felt confident of a repeat.
Real Madrid needed to win the game to move to the top of the table, and they had a game plan to curtail the rampaging Barcelona attack. Both teams took to the pitch on Sunday afternoon with only one draw in the league. They are the best in La Liga this season.
While Barcelona had a slight advantage, Real Madrid were still smarting from the 0-4 loss earlier this year and looking to make amends. Carlo Ancelotti was ready for a battle and fashioned out a formula that worked on the day as Real Madrid got revenge with a 3-1 over Barcelona. Los Blancos are now the clear leaders at the top of the table.
Real Madrid played a complete game – Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid are back at the summit of La Liga after a convincing 3-1 over arch-rivals Barcelona. Los Blaugrana came into the tie short on confidence after a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan midweek. Barcelona needed to get the spring back in their step, and a win over Los Blancos would have provided it.
Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid the lead early in the first half before Fede Valverde doubled the advantage in the 35th minute. From the moment they were two goals up, Real Madrid was in cruise control. Answering questions on how they managed a comfortable win over their arch-rivals, Carlo Ancelotti did not have a single answer.
Ancelotti said against teams like Barcelona, who have so much quality, they had to play a complete game, and it was what they did. The four-time Champions League winner said his team was solid in attack and defence. According to Ancelotti, they were good with and without the ball. He said there was confidence, the start was good, and the team went ahead quickly and controlled the game well.
Correcting the mistakes of the last loss
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to DAZN and was glad about how the game panned out. The Italian gaffer also talked about the lessons from the last tie against Los Blaugrana. The 0-4 loss was a learning moment for Ancelotti, and during his pre-match press conference, he said he would not be inventing anything.
Ancelotti agreed he made mistakes in the last encounter between both sides. According to Ancelotti, he invented something in that tie that didn’t go well, but this time, he didn’t invent anything. Everyone played in their position, and they did well. Ancelotti was impressed in the 3-1 win.
Modric was up for praise, with Ancelotti saying he was spectacular in the middle.
Ancelotti said Real Madrid played without a natural central striker last season as Karim Benzema was absent. The Italian manager used Luka Modric as a false nine, but it failed miserably. He was delighted at how things worked out this time.
