Carlo Ancelotti has seen it all and done it all in football. That includes seeing his Real Madrid team lose 4-0 to FC Barcelona in El Clasicos. The Italian has a habit of getting the last laugh though. While he might be getting criticised heavily on social media and by the press in the aftermath of the heavy defeat at Santiago Bernabeu, one suspects that the veteran manager will be calm about the situation.
At the end of the day, it was an unacceptable defeat for Real Madrid. But in the first phase of the game, one could argue that Real Madrid were the better team.
Of course, that feels like clutching at straws after suffering a 4-0 defeat. One has to remember though that this team is still adjusting to playing with Kylian Mbappe as its focal point and vice versa.
Some growing pains were always expected. Now, they are here and perhaps stronger than the expectations. Let's see how this Real Madrid side reacts.
Real Madrid boss makes bold claim about 4-0 loss to Barcelona
Ancelotti did take the opportunity to remind everyone about what happened the last time his Real Madrid team lost 4-0 at the hands of Barcelona. As reported by 90min, the Italian said in his post-match press conference:
"The result doesn't reflect what happened. They deserved to win but it was a close game until the first goal.
"We have to learn from this. Self-criticism is fundamental. But we don't throw everything in the bin - our first half was good.
"The last time we lost 4-0 at home to Barcelona we won La Liga and the Champions League. We won't stop fighting."
Unfortunately, over the years, heavy defeats at the hands of Barcelona have not been uncommon for Real Madrid. That has never stopped them from winning trophies though and that is the ultimate aim of this team.
Ancelotti and his team will need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong. On paper, they are the better side but Barcelona are flying high at the moment, and have players who are outperforming expectations. Hansi Flick's team were better on this day but will that be the case come May?