Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Courtois, Asensio, Nacho, injuries after RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s game at RB Arena on Tuesday night was a significant event in the picture of their overall season so far. Los Blancos were unbeaten heading into the clash against RB Leipzig but everything changed on the field as they fell to a 3-2 defeat.
The loss does not have any serious implications for the team’s chances in the UCL but is a big psychological blow to the team’s mentality. Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press after the game in Germany and addressed topics including the shocking result and injured players.
The manager first talked about how the team took Tuesday’s defeat and the implications it had on their UCL campaign.
“This defeat hurts but not so much. We still can qualify as first.”
“You learn more from a loss than from 10 wins in a row. We are going to focus on what has not gone well. We haven’t been good on set pieces in defence, where we’ve conceded two goals. We are usually better, but this can happen. We haven’t played the game we wanted.”
He then mentioned that a first defeat was always around the corner and did not show much disappointment at the result.
“It was obvious that sooner or later we would have lost a game. It happens.”
After the game, Thibaut Courtois spoke to the press and said that the team lacked intensity. When asked about his goalkeeper’s comments, Ancelotti said,
“Courtois said we played without intensity? Everyone has their opinion.”
The manager refused to comment on his team’s performance and that of Leipzig. He simply said that his team could not make the most of their opportunity.
“Leipzig played the way they wanted. We had our chances but it didn’t end well. I can’t say anything more.”
Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde were all unavailable on the night and Ancelotti acknowledged that their absence impacted the result against Leipzig.
“If we missed the injured players? Of course, we had absences tonight. The players who were in Madrid couldn’t play obviously, and today’s players have won many games. I haven’t changed the team much.”
On Marco Asensio, who made his first start of the season, Ancelotti added: “He played well, he suffered like everyone else, he gave an assist.”
On changing the positions of Nacho and Antonio Rudiger during the game, he explained: “Nacho was more used to pressuring up front than Rudiger and I think he did well, we entered the game and we had the opportunity to make it 2-2.”
Source: MARCA
Marco Asensio is fighting for his future at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old winger is out of contract at the end of the season and there is no concrete decision made by the club over his renewal as of yet.
Some reports had suggested that the club had tabled an offer worth €4 million per year, which the Spaniard did not like as he sought a higher pay packet closer to around €6 million-a-year.
With his future a subject of intense speculation, Asensio had been linked with a move away to Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, closer to home, there were strong links to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. Indeed, the Catalans have been touted as potential suitors for Asensio for quite some time now due to the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes.
The superagent has close ties with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and reports in Spain have suggested that the Real Madrid winger has, indeed, been offered to the current La Liga leaders.
Amidst these speculations, however, Asensio has seemingly made it clear as to where his heart lies as he awaits a decision on his future.
During last night’s El Clasico against Barcelona, the Real Madrid winger came on as a substitute and went on to score a goal, following which he celebrated at Camp Nou, pointing to the Real Madrid logo on his shirt, showing where his allegiances lie.
The goal, however, was disallowed by the VAR, and Los Blancos ended up losing the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Franck Kessie.
Earlier today, Asensio took to Instagram and posted a picture of him celebrating with his finger pointing to the Real Madrid logo, reiterating his commitment to the club amidst the links to Barcelona.
As for his disallowed goal, it sparked an angry reaction from Carlo Ancelotti, who questioned the legitimacy of the decision made by the VAR during his post-match press conference.
