"They've been much better" - Carlo Ancelotti makes honest admission as Real Madrid crash out of UCL semi-final after 4-0 loss to Man City
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Manchester City were the much better side as his side crashed out of the Champions League.
Ancelotti's men suffered a disappointing 4-0 (5-1 aggregate) defeat to City at the Etihad on Wednesday (May 17) night. Los Blancos were dominated by Pep Guardiola's rampant Cityzens with Bernardo Silva (2), Manuel Akanji, and Julian Alvarez on target.
Real Madrid managed just seven shots to City's 16 and had just 40% of possession. Ancelotti acknowledged how his side were put to the sword by the Premier League giants. He said (via MadridXtra):
“It's a defeat that hurts a lot. They've been much better, there's no other choice but to think about next season.”
Los Merengues will now end the season with just the Copa del Rey to their name. They were chasing their second consecutive Champions League trophy but couldn't conjure up a similar performance to their European triumph last season.
Ancelotti is looking to the future and has next season in his sights but there may just be pressure on his shoulders. The Italian coach's future has been speculated about throughout the campaign. The Brazil national team have made their interest in him known.
Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal makes Champions League vow after exit to Manchester City
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal insists that his side will bounce back and challenge for the Champions League next season. The Spaniard reflected on the heavy defeat at the Etihad, saying (via the Evening Standard):
“We knew that City were very strong at home but after the first leg we were left with the feeling that we could be better than this here – better on the ball."
Carvajal then vowed that Los Merengues would come back stronger next season:
“We are Madrid; we'll come back stronger and we'll work really hard next season to be back at this stage of the tournament.”
Real Madrid knew the tall order they had ahead of them heading into the second leg. They had failed to win at the Etihad and the Cityzens last suffered a defeat at home in November.
However, it is the manner of the loss to Guardiola's men that will infuriate Madrid fans. Their side were timid and rarely threatened with Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema quiet all night. Carvajal did his best to nullify the threat posed by the in-form Jack Grealish but the English attacker impressed.