Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted his side endured a difficult night against Atalanta, despite coming away from Tuesday’s Champions League clash with a 3-2 win.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior secured the victory for the holders, though Madrid were forced to hold on late as Atalanta pushed hard for an equaliser.
Softfootball reports that Ancelotti was candid about the challenges his depleted squad faced throughout the match.
He said:
It was a complete performance, we suffered, but also created numerous chances, had a lot of movement upfront with Bellingham, Vinicius and initially Mbappe.
Ancelotti explained the tactical thinking behind his approach, given his side’s current defensive limitations. He added:
We didn’t want to keep a low block, as our centre-backs weren’t very tall and we could suffer with their crosses. So we had to try everything to keep them away from our final third.
Despite the win, Madrid remain 18th in the standings, with Ancelotti stressing that squad depth issues will only ease once key players return from injury in the coming weeks.
