Ancelotti fumes at Real Madrid´s quick turnaround

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team will refuse to play matches if they are not given at least 72 hours of rest beforehand.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Madrid beat Villarreal 2-1 on Saturday in LaLiga.

However, the contest came less than three full days after Madrid’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, which went the distance to penalties.

Los Blancos progressed in the shoot-out, but Ancelotti said his team were well short of energy.

“I think today is the last time we will play a game before 72 hours. We will never play a game with less than that,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“The team is exhausted, but that was to be expected. It’s a victory that says a lot about our squad and the resources we have.

“I’m very proud. It was a tricky game, because of everything we went through, the hours of rest, and the strength of the opponent. They’re a good team, but we struggled physically.

7 – @realmadriden have won a @LaLigaEN away game against Villarreal for the first time since February 2017, ending their worst winless run away from home in the competition against the same opponent (G7 D6 L1) since Deportivo La Coruña between 1992 and 2008 (G17 D5 L12). Wow. pic.twitter.com/hVKkEwZkyb

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 15, 2025

“The explanation is that this team has something special, character, commitment, but they can’t always do it, sometimes I even get angry with them. We have to thank these players for their tremendous effort.”

Ancelotti noted that his club had contacted LaLiga about the scheduling conflicts but had yet to receive an answer.

Madrid top LaLiga on 60 points, three clear of second-placed Barcelona, who have two games in hand ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Atleti.

“The important thing for us was to win today, tomorrow I will watch the [Barcelona] game but as a football fan. The result doesn’t matter,” Ancelotti said.

Madrid, who fell behind to Juan Foyth’s early goal, beat Villarreal on the road in LaLiga for the first time since February 2017.