"Everything that happens is not Vini's fault; he just wants to play football"

Carlo Ancelotti admitted that the defeat (1-0 with an own goal by Nacho Fernandez) against Mallorca "hurts a lot", especially given the eight-point lead Barcelona can take from them if they beat Sevilla at the Spotify Camp Nou.

"Losing affects us, of course, but there's a lot of La Liga left, anything can happen and we're going to fight until the end," said the Italian, visibly annoyed by the numerous fouls committed by the Mallorcan side (29) and the "provocations" that he believes Vinicius was subjected to.

"What is happening is not his fault. He plays football, but he puts up with provocations in front of opponents and the atmosphere. Fouls when they are repeated over and over again are yellow cards. But we went into the break with Vinicius and Ceballos booked and zero cards for Mallorca".

The Madrid coach was also asked about the penalty missed by Marco Asensio in the second half. "I choose the penalty-takers," he said. "The first on the list is Benzema, who wasn't there; then Modric, Kroos, Rodrygo and Asensio. I asked Marco to take it because Rodrygo had missed one (at the World Cup in Qatar) and it could affect him."

Regarding the match, Ancelotti said it had been "tough, difficult with a lot of fouls and interruptions". "We didn't do badly, although the fact that we conceded the goal so early affected us a lot. They scored the first time they entered the box. Now we have to think about the Club World Cup, which we're really looking forward to," he said.

 

February 5, 2023