Carlo Ancelotti sends warning to Real Madrid players

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has not hidden his disappointment with his players since they fell to defeat against Real Betis, warning them about their attitude. Ahead of their clash with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16, he noted that he expected the tie to be decided in the second leg at the Metropolitano.

Ahead of the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, it was reported that the club and Ancelotti were most concerned by what they perceived as ‘indifference’ from their stars at the Benito Villamarin. After the game he criticised their commitment, and warned his players again.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow in the match. We were doing well in terms of attitude, but we lacked it against Betis. Hopefully it was an isolated case.”

The Italian has been emphasizing the importance of their defensive effort all season, and with it still being an issue in March, Ancelotti was asked if this was ever a problem in other eras.

“It is difficult to compare two different eras. There were players who were more focused on quality than on commitment and sacrifice. Those who have quality struggle.”

“To clarify a little, there are two types of players: those who run and those who make the difference. If someone wants to be in the middle, it’s impossible. Either you run or you make the difference.”

The last meeting between the two was less than a month ago in La Liga, with the two sides drawing 1-1 at the Bernabeu, with a first-half penalty from Julian Alvarez and an equaliser to Kylian Mbappe.

“It will be a close tie and it will be decided in the return match. The objective tomorrow is to play well and take an advantage [to the second leg]. The match is close and competitive, but we cannot think about taking a big lead tomorrow. The opponent is a strong rival.”

“Atletico are having a very good season. In the last derby, we played very badly in the first half and very well in the second. We have to think about playing like we did in the second half and not playing like we did in the first half. It’s not very complicated.”

Do #RealMadrid lack a nasty edge in games?

“No. They are a team that is capable of reading match situations well, something we didn’t do in the game against Betis.”

🗣️Carlo Ancelotti #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/tDtRnENlok

— Football España (@footballespana_) March 4, 2025

In terms of how they approach the game, Ancelotti was asked about the difference between facing Manchester City in the last round and Atletico Madrid in this one.

“We have to take into account the difference between the two rivals. Atletico is a more vertical team and can counterattack more. But I don’t want to change our style, our mentality or our approach.”