Ancelotti Hails Collective Effort as Real Madrid Thrash RB Salzburg 5-1

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's attacking quality, but acknowledged defensive issues remain after their 5-1 win over RB Salzburg.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was thrilled with his team's 5-1 thrashing of RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday, which secured their spot in the knockout stage. Ancelotti praised his attackers, who were in top form, with Brazilians Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo scoring twice, and Kylian Mbappe also finding the back of the net.

Ancelotti expressed his delight with the team's performance, saying, “We have fulfilled our objective. Winning and trying to play a good game. A bit soft in the beginning, but then we fixed that and played really well.” He was particularly impressed with his forwards, acknowledging that their quality is undeniable.

However, Ancelotti also acknowledged that his team's defensive issues still need to be addressed. “Obviously, there is no doubt about the quality of our players up-front. We are trying to fix the rest. Because the efficiency we have up top is unbelievable. We have to fix the other issues we have at the back,” he said. This admission suggests that while Real Madrid's attack is firing on all cylinders, their defense remains a work in progress.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with his team's defensive performance in their 5-1 win over RB Salzburg, despite conceding a goal. “Sometimes we do well and sometimes we do less well, but we're on a good run. I'm not angry about conceding a goal, we did well at the back today,” Ancelotti said. He singled out several players for praise, including Antonio Ruediger, David Alaba, and Raul Asencio.

👔 @MrAncelotti: “The individual talents we have are colossal.” pic.twitter.com/NnapoYKmUl

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Ancelotti emphasized the importance of collective commitment in achieving success. “It's a collective problem we have. That's the key this year. If we can have collective commitment we will be successful and we will be able to take full advantage of the quality we have up-front,” he said. This approach has been crucial in Real Madrid's recent good run of form.

Ancelotti reflected on Real Madrid's slow start to their Champions League title defence, which saw them lose three of their first five matches. This left them facing a difficult task to secure a top-eight finish and earn direct qualification for the round of 16. However, Ancelotti's team has since recovered, and they are now 16th in the standings on 12 points, having secured qualification for at least the playoffs.

Looking ahead to their final group game, Ancelotti stressed the importance of winning and relying on other results to go their way. “You never know what could happen... Only one thing is clear: we have to win the last game and that's nothing new at this club. We have to win all the games if you are at Real Madrid,” he said. This mindset reflects the high expectations and pressure to perform that come with managing a top club like Real Madrid.