Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after the club’s emphatic 5-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg to give them some breathing room and confidence in the new Champions League format. Ancelotti took Bellingham and Mbappé out early in the second half, but confirmed there is nothing to worry about. He said: “Bellingham had a back problem, but nothing special. I had the chance to take someone off and I took off Bellingham and Mbappé to be fresher for the next game.”

Ancelotti on the performance

“We achieved our objective. Win and try to play a good game. We felt a bit blank at the beginning, but then we fixed it well.”

Ancelotti on the attack

“Obviously, there is no doubt about the quality of what we have up front. We are trying to fix the rest. Because the efficiency we have up front is incredible. We have to fix the other things. Sometimes we do well and other times less so. But we are on a good run.”

Ancelotti on defense

“I’m not angry about the goal. We did well at the back. Rüdiger was very good today, Alaba is back, Asencio is fine. It’s a collective problem. It’s the key this year. If we can have collective commitment we will be successful and we will be able to take advantage of the quality up front.”

Ancelotti on the playoffs

“You never know. Only one thing is clear. We have to win the last game and that is nothing new at this club.”