Real Madrid News
Real Madrid captain pleads for forgiveness after Copa del Rey elimination: ‘We have hit rock bottom’
Real Madrid’s nightmare run only continued on Wednesday night as they fell to a 2-3 defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, just days after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The result means the Merengues have been eliminated from the Spanish Cup in what is one of their most humiliating eliminations ever. Further, they have now lost out on two trophies in less than a week.
At no stage, however, did Real Madrid look convincing last night, and they never led at any point in the game, with Albacete taking the lead on all three occasions and the European stalwarts constantly chasing a deficit.
Captain’s apology
Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal was the only player to face the media after the embarrassing defeat.
While he did not speak for long, his statement came as a heartfelt apology to fans for the team’s disastrous week.
“Today, we have hit rock bottom. A Second Division team has eliminated us, and congratulations to them,” he began, acknowledging the defeat.
“Starting tomorrow, we have to do an individual and collective self-criticism,” he added on the next step.
The captain then stayed positive and vowed to fight in all remaining competitions until the very end.
“We are in time to get back to the season. We have two fantastic competitions for which we are going to fight. The team right now is not at its best and we have to work hard.”
The veteran defender also spoke on where the team must improve and do better on the field, saying,
“We all have to give a lot more and it’s a reality. That’s the message: go all out.”
Finally, he apologised to fans around the globe for the team’s disappointing performance.
“We also apologise to the fans, and I think we are not, up to the expectations of this club. We promise to leave our lives in the games of the coming months so that the situation is reversed.”
Source: Real Madrid website
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
