Carlo Ancelotti did not mince words. The Madrid boss did not hide his disappointment after the display from his side. Not even victory was consolation for Ancelotti.
"I am not happy, we needed to play differently and we have suffered a lot. It's clear that I'm not happy about the game, the best thing is the result, but that's not enough, we have to play better."
Ancelotti added that, "Elche was aggressive, very compact and deserved the draw," said Carlo who did not want to delve into the match's controversial moments and took the word of Pepe on the penalty call. "From the bench it is difficult to talk about those plays, I don’t like to talk about refereeing decisions in general. I spoke with Pepe and he told me that it was a clear penalty."
Ancelotti also responded to Piqué, who had noted on social media that the Madrid match was like watching a comedy film: "He should think about playing and not talking, it's better being on the field than not on it," the Italian replied, who then continued to be critical of his team: "Playing like this tonight, we are not going to win the derby, that's clear, and I think everyone understands that. We need to play better, with more intensity and more personality."
"I don’t like to talk about the opponent, they played a good game, with a good defensive organization. We are going to play many times against opponents like that and we’ll need to find solutions. We are not finding solutions inside the lines, we play very horizontal and that makes things easy for the opposing defense."
"I am not happy, we needed to play differently and we have suffered a lot. It's clear that I'm not happy about the game, the best thing is the result, but that's not enough, we have to play better."
Ancelotti added that, "Elche was aggressive, very compact and deserved the draw," said Carlo who did not want to delve into the match's controversial moments and took the word of Pepe on the penalty call. "From the bench it is difficult to talk about those plays, I don’t like to talk about refereeing decisions in general. I spoke with Pepe and he told me that it was a clear penalty."
Ancelotti also responded to Piqué, who had noted on social media that the Madrid match was like watching a comedy film: "He should think about playing and not talking, it's better being on the field than not on it," the Italian replied, who then continued to be critical of his team: "Playing like this tonight, we are not going to win the derby, that's clear, and I think everyone understands that. We need to play better, with more intensity and more personality."
"I don’t like to talk about the opponent, they played a good game, with a good defensive organization. We are going to play many times against opponents like that and we’ll need to find solutions. We are not finding solutions inside the lines, we play very horizontal and that makes things easy for the opposing defense."
Scrutiny grows for Muñiz Fernández
Accusations of favoritism has been a staple of Spanish football for years, with Real Madrid and Barcelona long considered the beneficiaries of controversial decisions made by referees.
Wednesday night's match between Elche and Madrid at the Martínez Valero Stadium will do nothing to quell that talk. If anything, it will only increase it after referee Muñiz Fernández awarded Real Madrid a dubious 95th minute penalty which was converted into the winning goal.
A tangle in the Elche area between Carlos Sánchez and Pepe saw both players fall to the ground. After hesitating momentarily, Fernández pointed to the spot to indicate the foul. Replays showed a 50/50 struggle between the two players in the box on the corner kick, a scene that plays out in just about every football match on the planet, yet hardly ever produces a whistle for such a transgression. In fact, if anything, a foul could have, or perhaps should have, been whistled on Pepe as the Portuguese defender clearly was holding the arm of Elche's Colombian midfielder while falling to the ground.
This all came on the heels of a first half decision by Fernández to not send off Sergio Ramos with a second yellow. Ramos had received a ninth minute yellow for a foul, and warranted a second for his takedown of Coro, but incredibly Fernández only signaled for a foul in favor of Elche. Although Coro’s progress was clearly impeded on the Elche counterattack, no sanction was issued to the Madrid center back who finished out the match.
This is not the first time that Fernández has been the subject of controversy this season. It was Fernández who refereed the Barcelona-Sevilla match that ended with a last-second win for Barcelona when perhaps full-time should have been whistled for previously, and also in that same match saw a Sevilla goal disallowed that should have stood.
It remains to be seen if there will be any further examination of Fernández's decisions and if he could be facing any type of suspension, but for now the conspiracy theories of referees favoring Spain's big two clubs will continue to rage on.
Wednesday night's match between Elche and Madrid at the Martínez Valero Stadium will do nothing to quell that talk. If anything, it will only increase it after referee Muñiz Fernández awarded Real Madrid a dubious 95th minute penalty which was converted into the winning goal.
A tangle in the Elche area between Carlos Sánchez and Pepe saw both players fall to the ground. After hesitating momentarily, Fernández pointed to the spot to indicate the foul. Replays showed a 50/50 struggle between the two players in the box on the corner kick, a scene that plays out in just about every football match on the planet, yet hardly ever produces a whistle for such a transgression. In fact, if anything, a foul could have, or perhaps should have, been whistled on Pepe as the Portuguese defender clearly was holding the arm of Elche's Colombian midfielder while falling to the ground.
This all came on the heels of a first half decision by Fernández to not send off Sergio Ramos with a second yellow. Ramos had received a ninth minute yellow for a foul, and warranted a second for his takedown of Coro, but incredibly Fernández only signaled for a foul in favor of Elche. Although Coro’s progress was clearly impeded on the Elche counterattack, no sanction was issued to the Madrid center back who finished out the match.
This is not the first time that Fernández has been the subject of controversy this season. It was Fernández who refereed the Barcelona-Sevilla match that ended with a last-second win for Barcelona when perhaps full-time should have been whistled for previously, and also in that same match saw a Sevilla goal disallowed that should have stood.
It remains to be seen if there will be any further examination of Fernández's decisions and if he could be facing any type of suspension, but for now the conspiracy theories of referees favoring Spain's big two clubs will continue to rage on.
