Ancelotti: There are too many red cards in LaLiga

Goals from Eder Militão and Toni Kroos looked set to give Real Madrid a comfortable victory in what turned out to be a feisty affair against second-from-bottom Cádiz, who set up a nervy finale thanks to Lucas Pérez’s goal and should’ve netted an injury-time equaliser through Alfonso Espino.

After a slow-paced first half which was littered with off-the-ball altercations, Los Blancos stepped things up a gear in the second period and picked up a much-needed victory which keeps them within touching distance of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press after the game, criticising the number of red cards brandished in LaLiga this season, despite the fact that his team would have benefited from one which should have been shown to Fali of Cádiz.

2022 World Cup break good for Real Madrid

Is the break coming at a good time?

“I think the break will be good for us. We’ve had a good start to the season although we didn’t go into this game in great form. We’ve achieved our objectives. We’ve got 35 points, which is more than last season, without a Ballon d’Or winner, who scored 50 goals last year. It’s true, though, we’ve been a bit tried in the last few games.”

“Unnecessary suffering” at the end of the game

“We played really well until they scored to make it 2-1. Modrić could’ve made it 3-0, it should’ve been easy for him. After that, what happened is normal. It was unnecessary suffering at the end. But we deserved the three points and we’ve ended this part of this season well.”

Fali’s “punch” on Rodrygo

“What happened to Rodrygo seems pretty clear to me. They must’ve had a reason not to review it because it seemed like a clear punch.”

The state of the playing surface at the Bernabéu

“They’ll have time to sort out the pitch. It’s not been great recently but it’s always been a good surface, they’ll fix it.”

No substitutions until the 82nd minute

“The team was doing well so I made the first substitution after Cádiz’s goal. They were comfortable and looked fresh. I make substitutions if players are tired or if I want to change things tactically, not just for the sake of it.”

55 red cards in LaLiga, the most in Europe’s top five leagues

Vinicius being targeted by opposition players

“Vinicius is dealing with the situation really well. He’s been hit hard a lot of times in the last few games and has controlled himself well. In the top five leagues, the Spanish league is the one that’s had the most red cards – 55, compared to 10 in the Premier League. Tonight’s incident should’ve been a red card but there are some that shouldn’t be given, they have a negative effect on the spectacle. We don’t want to see 11 vs 10, I change the channel when I see that. It’s not a criticism, just a statistic. But it has a negative effect on Spanish football.”

Plans for the World Cup break

“Those who aren’t going to the World Cup will have a break until 1 December, when they’ll return to training. We’ll try to arrange some friendlies. The players going to the World Cup will get 10 days off after they come back. So anyone who plays in the World Cup final (18 December) will be available for the game against Real Valladolid on the 30th.”

Kroos’ understanding with Tchouaméni

“Kroos hasn’t changed much, his position is more or less the same. Maybe he’s become a bit more defensively aware because Tchouaméni is a different player, he likes to move with the ball. Their understanding is getting better, little by little.”