Ancelotti: Betis Deserved to Win, We Won't Beat Atletico in This Case

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti appeared at a press conference after the 2-1 loss to Betis in the 25th round of La Liga.

The coach said: "It was a bad match. We started the game well, but then we couldn't maintain the initial pace in terms of positioning and commitment, and we lost control of the match against a team that played better and deserved to win."

He added: "This loss is a heavy blow. We need to act; losing at this stage of the season is tough because all teams are playing well, and we did not play well in this match."

Regarding the team's decline after leading 1-0, he said: "I am not in the players' minds. We couldn't maintain our good position on the field in the first 20 minutes after that. We lost 27 balls in the first half, which is an extremely high number, and Betis came back into the game."

He continued: "If we play this way, we won't win on Tuesday, that is very clear. I hope this game helps us wake up and serves as a lesson for us. The team seemed to have become more organized and cohesive recently, but today we couldn't do that as we did in previous matches."

On Mbappe, he said: "He was suffering from a dental issue and didn't train much. He wasn't at his best. To avoid problems, I preferred to take him out and bring in Endrick, who has good dynamics."

On defense, he concluded: "The front line is there to cut off passes between the lines when you can't press, and when you perform well, as in the first half, to pressure the back four. We played well in the first 20 minutes, and in the other 70 minutes, our performance was poor."