After Valencia’s defeat, Real must recover swiftly, according to Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, bemoaned his team’s wasted opportunities in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Valencia at home, but he also challenged his players to get back on track before their Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Arsenal the following week.

Thanks to an outstanding performance by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Valencia shocked title-chasing Real Madrid in their first away La Liga victory of the season, doing leaders Barcelona a great favor.

In second place With eight games left, Real Madrid is three points behind leaders Barcelona, who visit Real Betis later on Saturday. Real has 63 points from 30 games.

Although Ancelotti admitted that winning La Liga was now unlikely, he insisted that it shouldn’t have an impact on their Copa del Rey and Champions League campaigns.

During a press conference on Saturday, Ancelotti stated, “We have lost the opportunity to fight for the league with more forcefulness, but the (Spanish Cup final) against Barcelona and the Arsenal clash will be different.”

“The game script will be significantly different, and (Arsenal and Barcelona) will attack more. We must be more effective up forward and better at the back, but we must remain focused.

“It is a fact that our opponents currently have an easy time scoring against us. However, complaining about it is pointless.

“This loss to Valencia is not well-deserved. Was there anything we could have done better? It’s not a lack of attitude, though. Details were the reason we deserved to win. We must move on and concentrate on Tuesday’s match against Arsenal.

With Thibaut Courtois and Ukrainian replacement Andriy Lunin out due to injury, Ancelotti was obliged to start 19-year-old academy goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez against Valencia, leaving him uncertain about his starting lineup.

“Courtois felt pleased about his practice today. We chose not to take a chance by playing Lunin today because it is still unknown if he would be ready. Both will need a few more days to recuperate, and we’ll find out our alternatives on Tuesday,” Ancelotti stated.