Winning Is More Important Than Playing Well – Says Real Madrid’s Ancelotti

Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, on Friday brushed aside criticism of his side’s unattractive style, saying winning was more important than playing well.

Unbeaten with five victories in seven games this season, Ancelotti’s focus is finding ways to win despite having several players injured and others struggling to reach peak form.

“Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well,” he said ahead of Sunday’s La Liga clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

“Ideally, you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing our fans, who are very demanding, so we will keep our focus on winning as we know that our squad is still far away from ideal form.

“We are not at our best and that is normal in the beginning of a demanding calendar. We will improve as the season starts to get into the important things to play for. For the moment we are in, we are doing well.”

Midfielders Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni made their return from injury in a challenging 3-1 victory at home against Stuttgart, kickstarting Real Madrid’s defense of their Champions League title on Tuesday.

However, Ancelotti said David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, and Brahim Diaz are still weeks from fully recovering.

The Italian emphasized that he wasn’t concerned about the struggling form of forwards Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. He noted that both players are still developing but improving each week, and he believes they will soon provide Real Madrid with the spark necessary for an effective direct approach.

“(The criticism) doesn’t bother me because I see that the fans are delighted,” Ancelotti said.

“You can play better, but the fans are used to our ‘rock and roll’ football. Not a lot of touches. We try to make the Madrid fans happy. And our game is about intensity, pace… Without wasting too much time in reaching the opponent’s goal.

“These are our characteristics. We have players with a lot of strength and speed, especially on the ball, and we have to take advantage of that.

“For me, I believe that beautiful football depends on the characteristics of the players I have. Attacking well, defending well… playing well on the counter. There are many facets and everyone has their own opinion…”

Barcelona leads the La Liga standings with 15 points, holding a four-point advantage over Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Villarreal.