Ancelotti Unhappy with Real Madrid’s Performance After Draw with Mallorca

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance following a 1-1 draw against Mallorca in the opening match of their Spanish League title defense.

Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real Madrid, who had secured the European Super Cup title just last week with a 2-0 victory over Italian side Atalanta in Warsaw, marking a record sixth triumph. However, Kosovar forward Vedat Muriqi equalized for Mallorca in the 53rd minute, earning the hosts a valuable point.

In a move similar to the Atalanta match, Ancelotti handed his new French star Kylian Mbappe his La Liga debut following his much-anticipated transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. While Mbappe found the net in his debut during the Super Cup, he couldn’t replicate that success in his first league appearance for Los Blancos.

Ancelotti commented post-match: “We are not happy. We could have performed better. I don’t want to make excuses. We needed to show more personality on the pitch. But overall, we can take a lot from this match because it clearly highlighted where we might encounter problems.”

The Italian tactician pointed to defensive issues, saying: “Our defensive work wasn’t up to standard. We struggled with ball recovery and applying pressure on the opposition’s ball carrier. When we discuss the defensive side of things, it’s particularly about collective commitment.”

He added, “We need to find better balance on the field, which means improving our defensive approach. Last season, I was satisfied with some draws, but today’s result felt different. We could have lost the match.” He concluded by emphasizing, “We are an offensive team, so balance is absolutely essential.”

The opening round of La Liga concludes tonight with two fixtures: Real Valladolid hosting Espanyol, and Atletico Madrid taking on Villarreal in what promises to be a tough match for both sides.