Real Madrid may have started their pre-season tour with two wins against AC Milan and Manchester United. However, they fell to disappointing defeats to Barcelona and Juventus in their final two fixtures of the your.

Wednesday night saw Los Blancos suffer a 3-1 loss against the Old Lady. Despite having 66% of the possession, 34 shots, and eight shots on target, the men in white could manage only one goal.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after his team’s drubbing at the hands of the Italian giants and spoke a plethora of topics from Vinicius to Arda Guler. Here are the takeaways from his press conference.

The manager first summarised the pre-season tour that came to an end with last night’s result and projected a sense of positivity through his words. However, it was also clear that he knew exactly where his men were lacking.

“It has been a positive pre-season and in the games we have played, we showed different facets. One very good and another in the defensive aspect that we must improve. The team is not used to defending with the diamond,” he said.

Speaking further about the six goals conceded over the last two games, he added: “We have conceded many goals against Juventus and Barcelona. There has been a lack of balance and we need to fix it.”

While Ancelotti was worried about the defensive complacency, he maintained that it was not a difficult issue to address. He also elaborated on the various means to improve that aspect.

“The defensive aspect is the easiest thing to improve because it is a problem of placement, concentration, and attitude. In the pressure we have been good and aggressive, but we were fragile in the low block. It has been quite evident in the last two games.”

“Lowering the block may be an option to take into account. But I’ll keep the good things and the opportunities we’ve had in attack.”

Ancelotti then commented on the need to put into perspective the challenge of constant travel in pre-season and insisted that the team would be better when rested adequately.

“In the pre-season, it may happen that we do not have success because the team is tired, since we have travelled a lot.

“The freshness that a striker must have when it comes to defining we don’t have at all. However, Vinicius has positioned himself very well both outside and inside and has scored a fantastic goal.”

Speaking on the team’s performance in the offence and defence, the Italian tactician took a clear position on where he stood and what he expects from his side.

“On an offensive level, there are no problems, but on a defensive level, we have to fix it. There are things to prove in this period and it has been quite evident what we have to fix.”

The manager then gave his two cents on Vinicius Jr who was the only goalscorer on the night. He emphasised the Brazilian’s ability to play in a front two, saying,

“It’s not difficult for him to play inside. He has handled the position very well. Today he has had difficulties on the inside, then he has gone on the outside and there he has begun to create danger. He’s getting better.”

The manager was then asked to comment about Fran Garcia’s performance on the night, for whom he had only words of praise.

“Fran García has played very well and has a lot of energy because he reaches the bottom very well and puts in good centers. He is a reliable player, but he has to improve. It is not an individual problem, but a collective one. He has to be better placed in the defensive aspect.”

Ancelotti’s press conference came to an end with an elaboration of Arda Guler’s situation. The manager confirmed reports of a possible surgical intervention but revealed that a decision was yet to be taken.

“It’s quite complicated to talk about a medical aspect, but it’s not quite serious. It is a small problem in the meniscus and we are evaluating whether to do a conservative treatment or surgery.”

Source: Real Madrid website