Carlo Ancelotti dismissed assertions that his Real Madrid team were embarrassed in the 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final defeat to Barcelona on Sunday.
Strikes from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri put Barca firmly in control in Saudi Arabia, with Karim Benzema’s 92nd-minute effort proving to be little more than a consolation.
Los Blancos have struggled in January so far, losing their most recent La Liga clash to Villarreal 2-1, and hopes of a similarly glorious campaign to the 2021/22 term when they claimed a domestic and European double have been severely dashed.
However, Ancelotti elected not to take too much from one defeat, referencing Real’s own 3-1 victory over Barca in October.
He said: “Our mistakes determined the outcome of the game. We didn’t look after the ball and they scored two goals as a result. The game changed from there. It was a bad match for everyone but it wasn’t down to a lack of spirit.
“In my mind we don’t talk about humiliation, that’s a bit too far. Sometimes in sport you win and sometimes you’re beaten. We lost a game against Barcelona, like we beat them in La Liga. They played better and deserved it.”
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Real are three points behind Barca in the La Liga title race and Ancelotti insisted his side will be ready to fight for silverware until the end of the season.
“The team’s not going through its best moment, but we have to dig in, because this team’s got the quality to come back and be competitive in every competition we’re still in. We’re hurting right now, because we usually win finals, but there are still plenty of trophies to play for and we’ll fight right until the end.
“We have to pick ourselves up and think about what we’re going to do. We’ll make sure we’re tough and competitive again, but we have to improve defensively. This is where we’re struggling at the moment.”
