La Liga 2024-25: Ancelotti urges all players to help depleted Real Madrid defence in derby vs Atletico

La Liga 2024-25: Ancelotti urges all players to help depleted Real Madrid defence in derby vs Atletico

Real Madrid has an array of attacking talent but will need the whole team to help plug the gaps in defence in its top of the table clash against city rival Atletico Madrid, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.

Real, top of La Liga by one point ahead of Atletico, is without its top-four defenders and Ancelotti urged attacking players such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham to help keep the ball out of its net on Saturday.

“The defensive problem is everyone’s problem, including the strikers. It’s a collective problem,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“But we can’t just ignore the fact that we have lost key players such as Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao (to ACL tears). And, despite that, we are still fighting and in contention in all competitions.

“Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba will be back soon, but let’s not forget that we are going through times of emergency, having lost very important defenders in a crucial part of the season.”

Real has failed to beat any of its top-four rivals this season and will face another massive challenge in the coming days, travelling to England next week for the first leg of its Champions League playoff clash at Manchester City.

It meets an Atletico side in scintillating form, winning 19 of its last 21 games in all competitions. However, Ancelotti was hopeful his inconsistent team could rally itself for an intense derby.

“What we need on Saturday are three points, there is nothing more than the three points we need. We don’t think beyond that,” the Italian said.

“We will face a strong opponent and it’s true that we have not been at our best in some cases this season, but what matters is that tomorrow we have to win and to win tomorrow we need to be solid, to find our balance.”