Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid’s defending must improve after their 3-1 defeat to Juventus in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday and rated his side’s preseason a “six” out of 10.
Juventus forwards Moise Kean and Timothy Weah put the Italian side 2-0 up early on at Camping World Stadium. Vinicius Junior pulled a goal back for Madrid, but Dusan Vlahovic added a late third for Juventus in added time.
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The result means Madrid have conceded six goals in their last two matches after a 3-0 loss to Barcelona in Arlington, Texas on Saturday.
“We’ve shown two facets [of our game],” Ancelotti told reporters postmach. “[We’ve been] very good offensively, but defensively the team isn’t used to defending with a [midfield] diamond. We’ve conceded a lot of goals. The three today, against Barcelona… We lacked balance and we need to fix that.”
Madrid began their pre-season U.S. tour with back-to-back wins against AC Milan and Manchester United before these latest setbacks.
Ancelotti has been trialling a new formation, playing four midfielders — including €103 million summer arrival Jude Bellingham — behind a front two, rather than Madrid’s usual 4-3-3.
“It’s the most straightforward thing to improve,” Ancelotti said. “It’s about positioning above all, concentration and attitude. We did well with our high press and we were weak in a low block.
“But I’ve seen a lot of good things. Today Vinicius did very well in his position and scored a fantastic goal. The attack doesn’t worry me. Defensively we have to sort it out.”
When asked to give Madrid’s preseason a grade, Ancelotti said “a six,” adding: “It’s obvious what we have to fix. Now we’ll have two days’ rest, and work on the defence.”
The Italian said left-back Ferland Mendy would be out for three weeks with his latest injury, while summer signing Arda Guler — who returned home early to Madrid with a knee problem — faces a little longer on the sideline.
“It isn’t a serious problem,” Ancelotti said, when asked about Guler. “We’re doubting between a conservative treatment or surgery. In the worst case, it’s a month [out].”
Madrid will kick off the new LaLiga season away at Athletic Club on Aug. 12, before playing Almeria on Aug. 19 and Celta Vigo on Aug. 25, all away from the Bernabeu.
