Ancelotti's surprising response about why Rodrygo hasn't played a single minute

Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke to the media this Sunday afternoon, after the match against Barça. The white team couldn't win in the match corresponding to matchday 35 of LaLiga, which took place at Estadio de Montjuïc.

"We had the opportunity to make it 4-4 twice. The match was competitive, fought, and even until the last minute and second. We had the 4-4, we scored but it was offside and I saw this match", stated Carlo Ancelotti.

"A match, obviously, against a great team. There's nothing to reproach my team in terms of attitude and commitment. It was total, the result didn't go well, but we competed until the last minute", explained the Madrid coach.

What happened with Rodrygo Goes?

One of the first novelties of the match was in Real Madrid's starting line-up. Carlo Ancelotti chose to include Arda Güler from the start, leaving Rodrygo Goes on the bench. Additionally, the coach opted to bring in Brahim Díaz and Víctor Muñoz before the Brazilian.

"He had recovered but wasn't feeling well. So, he wasn't at his maximum level. There's no punishment, absolutely nothing", commented Carlo Ancelotti.

"Zero problems with him. He had a feverish state, tried to recover, be ready and wasn't at his one hundred percent. So, putting him in for five or seven minutes, when one isn't well, there's a risk of injury", he added.

Confirms Vinícius's discomfort

Carlo Ancelotti explained that Vinícius's substitution was due to an ankle problem that prevented him from continuing to play. "He didn't make the change, I did because he had an ankle sprain problem. He tried, it bothered him and he preferred the change", he explained.

Finally, Carlo Ancelotti assessed Kylian Mbappé's match and also wanted to emphasize the team's defensive level. "Well, today Mbappé did well. In front, all the opportunities we had were very clear", he replied.

"I think we attacked well from behind, we tried to avoid offsides, we scored three and could have scored more, two offside. (...) We could defend well in the first thirty minutes of the first half. We must not forget that five defenders were missing", he concluded.