Carlo Ancelotti defended Real Madrid’s style of play in their penalty shootout win over Manchester City this week, and said he hasn’t met “a single fan” who was unhappy with their progression to the Champions League semifinals.
The LaLiga giants eliminated City on penalties on Wednesday after the tie had finished 4-4 on aggregate, with Pep Guardiola’s team dominating much of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Madrid will now face Bayern Munich in the semifinals – with the first leg on April 30 – but first have to contend with a top-of-the-table Clasico clash with Barcelona in LaLiga on Sunday.
“[Criticism] doesn’t surprise me. Everyone can have their opinion,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday.
“You have to do well with, and without, the ball. There are some games where you have the ball less than normal. We did very well for 90 minutes. I haven’t found a single sad fan of ours yet. Maybe they’ll turn up in the next few days!”
League leaders Madrid go into El Clasico eight points clear of Barça in second, and a win at the Bernabéu would likely all but end the title race.
“Right now we’re doing very well,” Ancelotti said. “The cake is ready, and we have to put the icing on it this month.”