Real Madrid Coach Ancelotti Admits Team Problems And Shortcomings On Champions League Eve

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted some of his team's current shortcomings and problems at a press conference on Monday, which previewed a Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund at the Bernabeu.

The competition's defending champions will host the outfit it beat at Wembley back in June to get its hands on a record-extending 15th UCL crown.

At present, however, Ancelotti's side hasn't been able to hit the heights of its treble-scooping predecessors in 2023/2024.

Against the Germans, Ancelotti hopes for a "back-and-forth match" which is "good for us" because "I have players with those characteristics".

"We have more difficulty in a possession [based] match because we do not have players with characteristics of playing in small spaces. They can take advantage of the open field. We are focused on defending better, it is the key to this season. The team is less solid in this regard and we are working on this," he explained.

Asked further which issues his team is currently experiencing, Ancelotti said that "there is a problem of physical conditioning".

"Not everyone is one hundred percent. We have to work more compactly as a team. The pressure up front has been good, but we lack solidity in the middle block. There the team loses a little solidity."

On what he requests from his number 9 Kylian Mbappe, Ancelotti answered "that he scores goals".

"I prefer that he scores goals than presses. The position of the centre-forward has not changed, I ask the same of him as I asked of Karim [Benzema]. Position yourself well and be smart every time we win the ball back to make a quick transition."

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There have been reports of Borussia Dortmund opting not to use Madrid's facilities on offer to it out of fear of being spied on.

Ancelotti noted how "football has changed", and that "you know everything about the rival [team] because you can see all the games they play".

"There are no secrets... I have enough data from all the games they have played," Ancelotti insisted.

More specifically regarding Tuesday's foe, Ancelotti said that while Dortmund has changed its coach and some players, it maintains "the idea of intense football, [to] play well and with good individualities".

"They are a demanding opponent, they have only recently played the Champions League final against us," he concluded.