The Real Madrid coach, Ancelotti, was positive about the defensive solvency: “We have fixed the problems we detected against Atleti. It makes me very happy”.
Assessment of the game: “In this first part of the season we have scored a lot of goals from set pieces, the coaching staff work very well, we have good shooters, we have formidable headers, like Rüdiger. Matches like this are those where the set-piece gives an advantage, Mallorca were very organised, very strong in the duels. We didn’t play at our best. It was normal to expect it, we lacked a bit of freshness in the final third. But we won with a good set-piece”.
Rüdiger: “He has taken advantage of the injuries of the others, he is playing at a very high level, with continuity, he is always ready in the duels. He’s a safety net at the back. He’s doing his best”.
Vinicius: “It was agreed that he would play for an hour, his injury was important, the doubt was whether to start or put him on in the second half. It suits him”.
Bellingham: “It’s not surprising that Bellingham doesn’t score goals, he has to work and he has worked, when he scores, and he scores a lot of goals, it’s a plus. His game was the same as all the strikers, he lacked a bit of accuracy and a bit of freshness”.
Another clean sheet: “I’m happy, the team is working well, there is commitment, the defensive work is not about quality, it’s about attitude. After that, the problem we had with Atleti has been fixed. We lack people at the back but we are very solid. That’s the most important thing.
Güler: “He’s fine, calm, very happy to work with the team again. I am very aware that he is 18 years old. Calm, calm with him, he will be a very important player for the present and for the future. We all need a bit of patience. I have it, and so does he. He will get his minutes, the quality is there”.
Brahim: “He’s in a very good moment, he’s contributed in that lack of freshness, his moment is good, he contributed today, I don’t know how he missed that goal, but heading is not his best quality. Joselu also contributed, the team was suffering a bit”.
League of two: “I don’t think it will be, it will be a league fought for by the four of us”.
Lunin and Kepa: “There will be a goalkeeper in goal, that’s for sure. We’ll see. Lunin played because Kepa has had flu problems. Next time Kepa will play and then for Arabia I will evaluate”.
Complicated January: “I’m taking that into account, in the past there have been problems. We are recovering important players, Camavinga and Mendy are coming back for the next game, that gives me confidence. Vinicius’ condition will improve. We have struggled in the past, but I’m confident we can do better this month.
Winter champions: “We’ve done well, we couldn’t have done better. But it’s part of what has happened, we have to look forward”.
Arandina: “We’ll rotate a bit, I’ll think about it tomorrow. Some home-grown players will be in the squad, maybe I’ll include a centre-back with Nacho, who didn’t play today. We’ll try to play a good game”.
Changes after the derby defeat: “Those goals we conceded opened our eyes, we were weak in our crosses. We fixed that by keeping the two centre-backs more inside the box when there are crosses and helping more on the flanks with the midfielders. We fixed it well.
Referee: “He’s young, this referee has quality, there were small details, cards, we protested a lot, too much in my opinion, that’s not good. We have to see that you can’t get yellow cards for protesting, I don’t like that. He could have got a bit more right, but he’s a young referee and has quality”.
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