Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti provided an update on forward Kylian Mbappé after the 3-2 loss. … (+)
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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has provided an update on forward Kylian Mbappe following Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League win over Atalanta.
The Frenchman gave the visitors a 1-0 lead within 10 minutes with a sensational strike, but he was sent off 25 minutes later with what appeared to be a muscular injury.
Ancelotti was immediately asked how his No. 9 was doing in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Movistar after The Athletic reported that Mbappe would undergo tests for a suspected thigh bruise.
Ancelotti replied: “He has an overload and is feeling some discomfort in his hamstring. We will have to wait and see in the next few days.”
“It doesn’t seem serious, but we had to stop him because he couldn’t sprint. It bothered him a little bit, so we preferred to change him.”
Ancelotti said the victory was “important” and came from a “complex game”.
“We showed the best version of ourselves: we suffered, we fought, we competed. We had great ball output and a good game from our forwards who were very mobile. Everything went well. Obviously we had to suffer. It’s not easy to win here,” he added regarding the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
When Madrid were leading 3-1, Atalanta could have drawn a goal and equalized, but Ancelotti said the reason for this was that the Italian Serie A leaders “push too much. He claimed that this was because he was “forced to make mistakes.”
“The team had the courage to press from high up. We are very happy. Not only did we get the three points, but it was also an emotional victory.”
Ancelotti asked whether Jude Bellingham felt uncomfortable after he was spotted with his hand on his leg in Saturday’s game against Girona and was caught out early, with Ancelotti insisting that the player, who has scored in six consecutive games again, felt uncomfortable. The midfielder explained: “I was tired. Nothing more.” .
“Atalanta demands a lot from you, but the team did a very strong job,” he reiterated.
Madrid are currently 18th in the UCL league table, but it is up to Ancelotti to decide whether he believes it is still difficult to finish in the top eight, without having to compete for the play-offs to reach the last 16.
“It’s still complicated, but we have two more games to pick up points and see how far we can reach. This win makes us more positive,” he said, reflecting on the important victory that will boost morale ahead of Saturday’s trip. A win against Rayo Vallecano would allow Los Blancos to take the lead in La Liga at the expense of FC Barcelona.
