Real Madrid picked up a crucial La Liga victory on Sunday as they saw off Celta Vigo, albeit in unconvincing circumstances. They had been 3-0 up with half an hour to go at the Santiago Bernabeu, but two late goals from the visitors made for a nervy ending.
Celta’s two goals came within 10 minutes of Raul Asencio being brought off for Jacobo Ramon, and that decision drew a lot of criticism from supporters towards Carlo Ancelotti. But as per Marca, the Real Madrid head coach revealed that the change was enforced.
“The game seemed over, we had the opportunity to score the fourth with Arda. We made the substitution because Asencio couldn’t take it anymore. You have to take into account that six defenders were missing and we are not always able to fix these things. Yes, we could have handled it better, we suffered a little but it’s a nice victory.”
During his post-match press conference Ancelotti also spoke on Guler, who scored for the second La Liga game in a row during the victory over Celta.
“His desire is to play at Real Madrid, he has a lot of quality, he has worked really hard and never lost the confidence. He has changed a lot since September. He has improved.”
Real Madrid will now begin preparations for their next match, which is against Barcelona in the final El Clasico meeting of the season. The gap between the two teams is currently four points, and while a win would see Los Blancos close right up on their bitter rivals, Ancelotti is clear that his side would still be underdogs in the race to win La Liga.
“We would still be behind (if we won El Clasico). La Liga is in Barcelona’s hands. But we would have more chances. We’re going to prepare well, to stand up to them. It’s not going to be decisive but almost.”
