Carlo Ancelotti concerned over Real Madrid's poor form: Team is not playing well

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has voiced his concerns following the team's rare consecutive defeats, including a recent loss to AC Milan. The team faces defensive issues and is struggling to maintain a top-eight spot in the Champions League.

In Short

• Real Madrid suffers second consecutive loss, falling 3-1 to AC Milan
• Ancelotti highlights defensive lapses and lack of scoring options
• Ancelotti urged his side to regroup to secure a top-eight finish in Champions League

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed concern following his team’s 3-1 Champions League defeat to AC Milan at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, marking Real’s second consecutive loss across all competitions—a rare occurrence they hadn’t experienced in over three years.

This latest setback came on the heels of a crushing 4-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona, and once again, Real Madrid were outplayed at home. The match highlighted weaknesses in both defence and attack for last season’s Champions League winners, exposing defensive lapses and a lack of scoring options.

Ancelotti urged his players to quickly regroup to stay in contention for a top-eight finish in the expanded 36-team Champions League table, as Real Madrid currently sit in 17th place with only six points from their four group-stage matches.

"We have to be concerned, the team is not playing well," Ancelotti told a press conference on Tuesday.

"The team is not compact, we need to be more compact, more organised, we've conceded a lot of goals ... The team is not well organised on the pitch and we need to work on this.

"We have to focus on what we have today, which is a team that is not at its best, and get back to our level so we can fight for all competitions."

He admitted that his team’s defensive balance had been lacking, noting that they’ve allowed nine goals across their last three home games. Ancelotti also addressed the crowd’s frustration, which saw players like Aurelien Tchouameni and Kylian Mbappe subjected to boos.

He dismissed the criticism as an issue of the team’s collective performance rather than individual failings, emphasizing the need for a unified response to their recent slump.

"It is not an issue of motivation or attitude, it's a collective thing that we need to fix quickly," Ancelotti said.

"On the pitch something is missing and we have not been able to show our best version. We have to fix this, but the nights are going to be very long and we have to recover the solidity that we are lacking."

"That's the problem above all, we've conceded too many goals for a team that is built on solidity."

"We have to accept criticism and accept reality. We want to do better because it's very difficult to get to the end of the season like this. We have to defend better and we have to look for solutions, without going crazy after drastic changes."

"It's good that the players are down like I am. We can all think about how to improve our version. We are confident that this team will improve."