Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid and other teams are struggling to balance Champions League football with domestic duties.
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Madrid survives Rayo Vallecano
Madrid came away with a 2-1 LaLiga victory over Rayo Vallecano, thanks to first-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
However, Pedro Diaz pulled one back for Rayo before halftime, but Ancelotti’s side managed to stave off any scare from their opponents.
Madrid’s victory secured all three points, bringing them level with Barcelona — who have a game in hand — at the top of the LaLiga table.
“The feeling is good, because the target is to pick up points,” Ancelotti insisted in his post-match news conference.
“We had a very good first half… When you get to 70 or 75 minutes at 2-1, you have to do one thing, which is defend well.”
Real Madrid, other teams struggling to balance Champions League
Madrid had been struggling in LaLiga, with just one win in five games heading into the Rayo match.
However, their title hopes were boosted by Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Getafe earlier on Sunday.
Ancelotti highlighted Madrid’s struggles in balancing Champions League fixtures with LaLiga duties, a challenge faced by other European clubs as well.
“A lot of teams played in the Champions League and suffered [this weekend],” Ancelotti said.
“It was difficult for Inter against Monza [in Serie A]. Liverpool against Southampton [in the Premier League]. [Bayer] Leverkusen lost, Bayern [Munich] lost [in the Bundesliga.”
“It’s difficult to prepare for these games, against teams like Rayo which play with intensity. I’ll repeat myself: the first half was very good.”
