On Wednesday night, after winning the European Super Cup, the first title in the first match, Carlo Ancelotti already warned of an issue that obsessed him, the search for balance, now that he has a team with Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo. In their absence, he sees that a crack could open that could break up the new plan. And he returned to balance on Sunday night, after drawing the first league match in Mallorca (1-1): “We started the match well. We got ahead and we could have scored the second. In the second half we lacked balance. It is a match that we could have lost due to not having balance. It was not a good match. We are a very offensive team and defensive balance is a fundamental part.”
On the other side of the bench, Jagoba Arrasate sensed the same thing and saw an opportunity for an even bigger blow: “I saw the possibility that if we stole the ball, we could hurt them. But they could also score 1-2,” said the new Mallorca coach. “In some outings, we even thought we could win.”
Ancelotti is also clear about where that balance begins, an old mantra of his from previous seasons: “When we talk about the defensive aspect, we talk above all about collective commitment,” he explained. “We have to be more focused, be more united. It is not a physical problem, it is a mental one,” he said, returning to his classic teachings on defensive systems. Either they all defend together or the system collapses, as the Italian pointed out after seeing how Mallorca threatened Courtois again and again, while the squad of attackers proved incapable of beating Greif for the second time.
“Balance is found when the players think about the same thing. When we have to win the ball back, we have to think about it together. It is a problem for everyone, not for the forwards, the midfielders or the defenders. It is a problem for a team that did not understand that this was a key aspect of the game. Mallorca played a great game in this aspect…”
Ancelotti’s displeasure in the press room was evident, seeing that his team had faltered on the second night in something that he considers so fundamental and about which he had warned: “Today I am not happy. I think we could have done much better. I don’t want to make excuses for anything. We had to do it with more attitude. This game can serve to teach us a lot. It is a fairly clear example of where we can have problems.”
They have a little more time to prepare until the next test: next Sunday they host Valladolid at the Bernabéu (17.00, Movistar).
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