It has not been an easy start to the season for Real Madrid. Back-to-back draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas mean the reigning champions are currently four points adrift of Barcelona at the top of La Liga – that gap could extend to seven by the time they face Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu. Sunday evening
Carlo Ancelotti talked about trying to find solutions when he addressed the media in Gran Canaria on Thursday, and in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Betis match, he elaborated on the topic of Real Madrid that trying to solve his early season problems (via AS Diary).
“Being worried means that we are trying to solve our problems. So far we have not been able to have a compact block and we have to improve this. I spoke with the players and I agree. When the problem is clear, it is easy to sort out.
“We have to defend better and this is a collective commitment. Now it's just an individual attitude that we need to work on to make the collective. The feeling is that we struggled to recover the ball and that the opposing teams hurt us between the lines. It's something we have and we're going to solve it.”
Ancelotti didn't seem overly concerned about these issues, and was also relaxed about the deficit that had built up between his side and the top of the table after the opening three days.
“We are not happy, but not because of the four points, but because we did not play well. The season is very long and it does not mean much. “And we will compete until the end, there is no doubt about it” .
There is no doubt that Real Madrid need to win on Sunday, especially if Barcelona defeats Real Valladolid, as expected, 28 hours earlier. Furthermore, a convincing performance will also be required from Ancelotti's side.
