The Italian Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, stated that after a “long streak” of 258 days without losing, “you can start to believe you’re invincible,” and for that reason, sometimes a defeat like the one they suffered on Wednesday against Lille can “reconnect you with reality.”

“Everyone can have their opinion. The criticism regarding what we saw on Wednesday is fair, but it doesn’t change anything. Sometimes there are moments when you need to reconnect, and do it quickly. None of us like to lose. We’ve had a long streak, and you can start to believe you’re invincible; sometimes a defeat reconnects you with reality,” he said in a press conference.

What is missing?

“We need to do better. We are not at the level we want to be, but we are close. We have players who have not reached their best level, and we must be patient in this regard; we’re not where we want to be, but we’re not far off. We lack a bit of intensity, ball circulation… that’s where we need to improve,” he added.

Ancelotti reiterated his belief that defeat can be beneficial for his team's reaction. “A defeat can be a good opportunity if you react. I liked the team’s response. We gave our all at the end of the match and competed until the end. The reaction was good, and we are stronger than ever,” he assured.

“The last defeat was beneficial, and if the same thing happens, we will see. In the league, we remain unbeaten for a long time, and we must continue this streak. We are the saddest, and we will look for solutions,” he continued.

“We have agreed that we lack intensity with the ball in the sense that the ball needs to circulate faster to reach the front well, and that there is a lack of defensive intensity,” he commented on the analysis he conducted with his players about what happened in Lille.

However, Ancelotti, who is “quite accustomed” to criticism and, for that reason, “is not worried at all,” defended the quality of his squad when asked about the midfield and whether they lacked a profile similar to that of German Toni Kroos, who retired at the end of last season.

“I don’t think we lack a player who can pass. Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham... Tchouaméni is fundamental for us defensively... We have a lot of variety. We are not showing all our quality, but we lack nothing,” he commented.