Ancelotti: Madrid slowly getting ‘back to our best’

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team are improving “little by little” after their 4-1 comeback win against Espanyol in LaLiga on Saturday.

Madrid failed to score in the first half at the Santiago Bernabeu — they’ve only scored one first-half goal all season — and went behind to a Thibaut Courtois own goal not long after the interval.

The introduction of Vinícius Júnior — who was rested at the start — changed the game, as goals from Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé gave Madrid all three points.

“I thought it was a good game, we reacted well after Espanyol’s goal,” Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. “We played better, with more rhythm, we had more chances.

“We played faster, moving the ball with more speed, with better movement … our mobility is a very important weapon. The third goal was spectacular, a fantastic counter attack. Little by little we’re getting back to our best version.”

Madrid haven’t always impressed this season, but they’re unbeaten with four wins and two draws in LaLiga, and have now gone a total of 38 league games undefeated, a run stretching back to September 2023.

There’s been a stark difference between their first- and second-half displays, with 17 of their 18 goals in all competitions coming after half-time.

“We talked about it with the players before the game, to see if we could change that dynamic, and we couldn’t,” Ancelotti said. “Thirty-eight games without losing shows the team has done very well.”

Ancelotti dismissed concerns about midfielder Jude Bellingham — who needed treatment to his shoulder after an awkward fall — saying “it doesn’t look like anything worrying.”

He also praised the contribution of teenage forward Endrick, who came off the bench and won the late penalty that Mbappé converted.

“[Endrick] is training very well, but up front we have Rodrygo, Mbappé and Vinícius,” Ancelotti said. “We have to be patient.”