Real Madrid locker room deeply stung by Valencia defeat – report | OneFootball

This past weekend saw Real Madrid succumb to a shock 1-2 defeat to relegation-battlers Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having had an excellent chance to secure a win and put pressure on league leaders Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti’s men squandered it, churning out a disappointing display that led to boos and whistles from their fans at the stadium.

Real Madrid locker room hit hard by loss

Now, according to MARCA, Real Madrid’s loss to Valencia on Saturday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu hit the squad hard. It was one of the defeats that stung the most inside the dressing room.

Not even Barcelona’s draw with Real Betis, which kept the league standings more or less the same heading into the decisive stretch, offered any real consolation as the players felt they had let the fans down.

The squad was clearly shaken. They know they let a golden opportunity slip – either to move closer to securing the league title or at the least to put pressure on Barcelona. Many still do not understand how they reached the final minutes of the match without having resolved it.

The timing could not have been worse with a crucial match against Arsenal looming on Tuesday.

Ancelotti’s message to Real Madrid players

Ancelotti wants his players to forget the Valencia loss. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

On Sunday, Ancelotti had to raise his voice in the dressing room to remind the players that nothing had been lost and that the outcome would once again depend on the effort they showed on the pitch in the coming matches.

The Champions League does not allow for any slip-ups or lapses in focus. Dwelling on what happened against Valencia would serve no purpose, and Ancelotti made that clear to his players before Sunday’s training session.

The manager plans to repeat the message on the Emirates Stadium pitch today. He wants the squad to understand that La Liga is still in play and that their domestic disappointment must not sap their energy ahead of the European challenge.

Faced with that reality, the staff acted quickly. Before Sunday’s session, they delivered a clear and direct message: there is no room for regret.

The focus must shift to what lies ahead – and that includes the opportunity to turn things around, starting with the clash against Arsenal. Ancelotti has called for one final push to erase the memory of Valencia and to remind the squad of what is still possible.