No Punishment! Ancelotti Gives Real Madrid Players a Day Off After Heavy Defeat to Barcelona

Despite a 0-4 home defeat to Barcelona in the El Clásico, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has not punished the players. Instead, he has given the team two days off. According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Ancelotti hopes this approach will help the players regain their mental composure after such a heavy loss.

The original plan was for the players to resume training on Monday, but Ancelotti decided to grant an additional day of rest. Real Madrid will begin closed-door training on Tuesday, with no press conferences scheduled. Notably, the training session will start at 4 PM local time, unlike the usual morning sessions.

This approach reflects Ancelotti’s consistently gentle management style, as he aims to help the team recover quickly from the defeat. Even after such a significant loss, Ancelotti remains optimistic, stating after the match: “The last time we lost 0-4 to Barcelona, we ended up winning La Liga and the Champions League. Although we missed many opportunities and are very hurt by this result, we will not give up. The season is long.”

Ancelotti referred to the 2021/22 season, when Real Madrid, despite losing 0-4 to Barcelona, went on to win both the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League. He also noted: “The mistake is mine. However, the team’s performance today was not bad. Our performance against Lille was indeed poor, but against Barcelona, the team actually played well. The score does not fully reflect the reality of the game.”