Real Madrid beat Villarreal 2-1 at La Serramica to get back into touching distance of league leaders Barcelona in LaLiga. However, Carlo Ancelotti was still not a happy man.
It makes sense. He was happy about the win - he was proud of his players for their effort against the Yellow Submarine - but he was still angry about an issue that has not sat right with him for a few days now.
Real Madrid, just 66 hours after playing 120 minutes against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, had to play this game against Villarreal away from home.
Ancelotti was visibly angry before the match against Villarreal, saying that the authorities care more about money than about the players' well-being.
Ancelotti said Real Madrid will not play without 72 hours of rest again.
After the match, Ancelotti came out and made it clear to LaLiga that Real Madrid simply will not play if there is not at least 72 hours of rest between two games.
He said: “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 since January 3rd. Even more so today.
"It is the last time we will play before 72 hours. We will never do it again. We have asked LaLiga to change the schedule twice, and nothing has happened. It is the last time.”
It is not just Real Madrid, either. Atletico Madrid have also had a similar issue three times in 2025, and something needs to change before more teams start pulling out of football matches so that they are well rested.
Playing 90 minutes just 66 hours after playing 120 minutes is far from ideal, and Real Madrid getting the job done even then speaks volumes about how good this team can be, but as Ancelotti has said in his press conference, things need to change.