The Spanish giants find themselves at a critical juncture of the season, trailing FC Barcelona by four points in La Liga and reeling from a shocking 0-3 defeat against Arsenal in the first leg in London
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has urged his team to rediscover their rhythm and confidence when they face Alaves on Sunday, ahead of their crucial UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Arsenal.
The Spanish giants find themselves at a critical juncture of the season, trailing FC Barcelona by four points in La Liga and reeling from a shocking 0-3 defeat against Arsenal in the first leg in London. “Tomorrow I want to see a Madrid that is capable of getting back our good feelings,” Ancelotti said during his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “It’s clear that everyone is thinking about Wednesday’s match, but that depends on tomorrow’s performance. We’re still in the fight for the league, and we have to play well and win.” The Italian tactician stressed the importance of putting in a strong performance against Alaves, highlighting that restoring confidence in the team’s style and intensity was fundamental ahead of the European challenge that awaits.
“We have talked about giving a good performance tomorrow and trying to win,” he continued. “We have to give everything because it’s fundamental for us to get back to having good feelings when we play.” Despite the daunting three-goal deficit they face against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti expressed confidence that Real Madrid’s history of dramatic Champions League comebacks could serve as inspiration. “We will try. Real Madrid is the only team that has done it many times, but we’ll try to do it once again. We’re aware of how much our fans and the stadium can help us. We’re going to try until the last minute and until the last ball, starting tomorrow,” he said.
Ancelotti also addressed concerns about the team’s defensive commitment after the heavy defeat in London. He conceded that Arsenal outworked Madrid, covering more distance and showing greater intensity.
“It’s a question of the players’ attributes,” he explained. “The same thing happened in previous years; we were able to win by running less total distance. Statistics talk a lot about total distance but not about sprint distance, which is different.
“Despite this, we have won two Champions League trophies. Against Arsenal, we did less in every aspect: in sprint distance, in total distance, and in acceleration. They worked harder than us,” Ancelotti admitted.
Madrid will aim to use the Alaves clash to reset their momentum, with their season potentially hinging on two decisive performances in the coming days.
