Ancelotti declines to hold star midfielder accountable for costly error in defeat to Athletic Club – ‘These things happen.’
Real Madrid’s recent loss to Athletic Club was a disappointing outcome for the team. However, manager Carlo Ancelotti used his post-match press conference to shield his players from criticism.
Ancelotti specifically addressed Federico Valverde’s performance, as the Uruguayan midfielder was involved in a crucial error leading to Athletic Club’s second goal. Despite the mistake, Ancelotti defended Valverde, reminding everyone that errors are a natural part of football and urging focus on future games rather than dwelling on the defeat.
“Fede (Valverde), like Kylian, is sad and disappointed. He made a mistake, but Fede should not be touched. He’s a great player. Mistakes are made in football, you have to look at the next game,” Ancelotti said.
The press conference also covered a controversial incident involving Rodrygo, who was brought down in the box, prompting a VAR review for a potential penalty. Ancelotti admitted he hadn’t seen the incident clearly and refrained from making strong comments. He simply acknowledged the referee’s decision after the review, stating, “I didn’t see the play. It seemed that they were looking at the offside, then the penalty. He called him to see the situation and decided not to give a penalty.”
Reflecting on the game, Ancelotti praised his team’s increased intensity after Athletic Club took the lead. Real Madrid showed determination to equalize and appeared capable of securing a win after drawing level, but ultimately fell short.
“When Athletic took the lead, we were more intense. You could have thought that after tying, we could win,” he observed.
Despite the setback, Ancelotti remains optimistic about Real Madrid’s chances in LaLiga. With the team currently four points behind Barcelona, who still have a game in hand, Ancelotti is confident they can stay in the title race.
“We’re still in the fight. We could have gotten a better result, but we are there,”
he concluded.
