'When I want to defend, I take off the forwards'

In Sunday's post-match press conference, Ancelotti pointed out the difficulties faced by teams involved in the Champions League in winning their weekend league matches. After his side's 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano, the Italian coach admitted that he opted to defend with the score at 2-1 "to avoid any problems."

The Real Madrid coach also showed understanding towards the boos from the fans due to the team's performance in the second half against Rayo.

"The feeling is good because the goal was to get the points. We played a very good first half, and we could have finished 3-0, but it ended 2-1, which made the second half more difficult. Kylian had a chance, and Vini another, to make it 3-1, and we defended well to avoid any further issues," Ancelotti told reporters.

"I understand that the fans didn't like the second half, but we have to remember that many teams who have played in the Champions League have lost or failed to win their league games, they've struggled. It's very tough to prepare for these games against teams like Rayo, who are in good form and play with intensity. The first half was really good," he added.

Ancelotti is confident that if his team maintains the level they showed in the first half, they will knock Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League on Wednesday at the Metropolitano, where Real Madrid go into the second leg with a 2-1 lead.

"If we play like we did in the first half, we have a great chance of going through," he said confidently. "I was really pleased with the first half, we pressed high and could have made it 3-0. We played with intensity and quality. In the second half, we dropped the level," he concluded.