Ancelotti: Real Madrid Should Be Concerned After Milan Defeat

Carlo Ancelotti stated that his Real Madrid side "should be worried" following their 3-1 defeat at home to AC Milan in the Champions League, their first match since a 4-0 loss to Barcelona in El Clasico. 

Malick Thiaw's header gave Milan a 1-0 lead at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, before Vinícius Júnior equalized with a penalty. Alvaro Morata then scored to put Milan 2-1 up before the break.

Madrid pressed for an equalizer, but Tijani Reijnders sealed Milan's victory on the counter-attack, extending Madrid's run to two losses in their last four Champions League matches.

"We should be worried because the team isn't playing well," Ancelotti told Movistar. "We have to be more solid, more compact. We've conceded a lot of goals."

The defeat leaves Madrid struggling in midtable in the new Champions League league phase, while in LaLiga they're already nine points behind leaders Barca.

"It isn't about being patient or not, the reality is what you see on the pitch, which is that we're missing something," Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. "Worrying in these moments is normal. It will be a long night, but that's what we have to do, think, all of us, about improving things.

"We've conceded nine goals and that's too many for a team which built its strength on solidity."

Ancelotti stated that Madrid's attack, which saw Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior paired together up front against Milan, is not the problem.

"We had a lot of chances," he said. "The problem for me isn't that. Probably we lacked being clinical, but the main problem we have to fix is how easily our opponents are creating opportunities.

"When you aren't solid, you have to be more organized. You can't say my players are lazy, but right now we aren't able to work together effectively.".

Ancelotti dismissed claims that the atmosphere in the Madrid dressing room has been affected this season by the summer arrival of star Mbappe.

"No, the dressing room is healthy," he said." There'll be a lot of criticism, about our attitude, training... What critics think, we have to accept. We aren't doing well. We want to do better. Like this it's hard to get to the end of the season."

"Each year, there are difficult moments where you have to struggle, fight, think. What isn't normal is that this team had a good run, and has fallen very fast. That's part of football. When you think everything is perfect you fall, but the good thing about football is that you can react."

"I think the last two defeats are inexplicable," goalkeeper Andriy Lunin said. "We have to analyze it well and react. We have to recover.

"We understand that we are Madrid, that we have to always win, there are no excuses."

Madrid host Osasuna in Laliga on Saturday before the International break,while their next Champions League game is away at Liverpool on Nov.27.