- Carlo Ancelotti was reportedly furious with his Real Madrid stars’ first-half antics
- His stern words inspired a derby turnaround – ahead of their Man City clash
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Does the Premier League REALLY need to look at goal celebrations?
Carlo Ancelotti reportedly shook his Real Madrid stars into their senses with a forceful half-time warning in their derby draw against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The LaLiga leaders came into the dressing room 1-0 down after Julian Alvarez’s penalty, but levelled inside five minutes of the restart thanks to Kylian Mbappe.
Ultimately the game finished 1-1 and it was a pivotal point for Los Blancos as it kept them ahead of Atletico. Ancelotti’s side lead the way on 50 points but Diego Simeone’s men are hot on their coattails with 49.
The comeback gave his side a shot of confidence in their comeback ability ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Manchester City in the Champions League knockout play-offs.
In a fiery first half, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior are said to have ‘waged war’ on each other and often popped up in the same space against Atletico.
But according to Marca, Ancelotti threatened to substitute his stars unless they changed the course of the match quickly.
Carlo Ancelotti reportedly chastised his key Real Madrid stars with a fierce warning in Saturday’s derby against Atletico
He threatened to take off Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior for ‘waging war’ on each other
Madrid came out flying in the second half and equalisd thanks to Mbappe’s 50th-minute goal
The Spaniard warned Vinicius to stop drifting into the centre of the pitch from his position on the left flank.
Mbappe and Bellingham were already occupying that territory, with the Frenchman leading the line and the Englishman cast in the supporting role.
Marca reports how the players responded quickly to Ancelotti’s advice to get them level.
Midfielder Federic Valverde is said to have ‘acted like Superman’ with his industrious efforts in the middle of the park against a hard-working Atletico duo of Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios.
Despite rescuing a point, it is a worry for Madrid that their main attacking lights were in conflict in the first half and unable to work effectively as a team.
‘I think we deserved more. It was a very good game in the second half,’ Ancelotti said.
‘The first half was totally different. Slower. We came out with good feelings, especially in the second half. The penalty situation affected the team. We played too slowly before.
‘In the second half, we took advantage of the width of the field. Vini [Vinicius Junior] and Rodry [Rodrygo] created a lot of danger from the outside.
Vinicius Junior had kept drifting inside from the left wing but Ancelotti made amends in the dressing room
They are gearing up to play Man City on Tuesday in the Champions League knockout play-offs
Madrid met City in the quarter-finals last season and beat them on penalties at the Etihad
Bernardo Silva (pictured) and Mateo Kovacic both saw their spot-kicks denied by Andriy Lunin
‘It was a close, competitive match. As I said, we came out of the match with a draw but encouraged. The team was good in the second half.
Real face City on Tuesday and will welcome them to the Santiag Bernabeu on Wednesday, February 19.
It is a re-run of their quarter-final clash from last season, which saw Madrid dump City out at the Etihad on penalties.
Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both saw their spot-kicks saved by Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin on that night.
Former Chelsea man Antonio Rudiger smashed his deciding penalty past Ederson to seal the deal.
City had arguably dominated the tie but Madrid were the ones who advanced and went on to lift their 15th Champions League title with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the final.
