Ancelotti is unhappy about Madrid’s slow start as Joselu hails Valverde

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after his team came from behind to defeat Real Sociedad, with second-half goals from Fede Valverde and Joselu overturning Ander Barrenetxea’s early strike for the Basque side.

Los Blancos have now won their first five La Liga games, a record which leaves them two points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table. The Italian, however, is keen for his team to stop conceding early goals, which they have done in three different matches already this term.

“We need to assess it properly, but we’ve now conceded goals early on in three out of our five games. We managed to come back to win, but we have to stop this from happening. It makes it hard for you to get into the game, and you have to make more of an effort. Real Sociedad played really well, and it was a challenge for us. ‘’But we managed to do it thanks to the commitment and energy shown by the group; which has been a constant in all our games. Our opponents find it hard to keep us at bay for the full 90 minutes.’’

On why he removed substitute Joselu immediately after he scored,

“He’s a player who plays well with his back to the goal, as well as facing it. He’s a threat in the opposition penalty area and is a very good header of the ball. We know what he can offer us in these games. The substitution was about getting more energy in midfield. We doubted ourselves a bit after he scored, but we wanted fresh legs to help protect our lead. He has an important role in the squad; in some games, he’s very important because of his presence in the opposition penalty area. It’s no coincidence that he has scored two goals. At home, when we put more crosses into the box, he can score more. He gives us something we didn’t have in previous years.”

 A highlight of the match was Fede Valverde’s spectacular strike levelled the contest just after the restart before Joselu’s towering header clinched the win.

That key goal continues Joselu’s hot streak in Madrid but he was full of praise for the superb Valverde at full time.

“He’s a beast, an animal, you see him running and it seems that his strength will never run out”, as per reports from Marca.

“I always want to score goals to help the team, it’s what makes me happiest.”

Up next for Real Madrid is the start of their Champions League campaign in midweek with Union Berlin heading to the Spanish capital.