Ancelotti: Substitutions Aimed at Alleviating Team Fatigue; Leading in the Final Moments Requires Strong Defense

On September 30, in the 8th round of La Liga, Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid away from home. At the post-match press conference, Ancelotti expressed no regret over his personnel adjustments and noted that the unfortunate moment of being equalized in the final moments is a part of football’s unpredictability.

Real Madrid successively substituted Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Modric before conceding an equalizer. Regarding these substitutions, Ancelotti said, “I do not regret the decisions I made; they were aimed at addressing the team’s fatigue issues.”

Ancelotti commented on the draw, “I will focus on the positive side; we secured one point against a strong team, and our overall condition is good. We will now prepare well for the upcoming Champions League match away to Lille.”

Ancelotti spoke about being equalized, “This is part of football’s unpredictability. When you are leading and there are only five minutes left, you must defend well. For most of the game, we did this well until the final moments when Atletico broke through our defense with a threatening pass and scored.”

Ancelotti discussed the team’s performance, “Both teams controlled the game well. We wanted to improve our defensive play compared to last season, which we achieved, but we still need to strengthen our ball possession. With a tight schedule, it’s normal to have ups and downs.”

Ancelotti commented on the match suspension due to fans throwing objects, “I don’t think it helped Atletico; both teams were affected. Both sides wanted to resume the game, so the referee made the right decision.”