Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said he is “not worried” that his team are yet to win in preseason.
The Champions League holders followed their 1-0 defeat to AC Milan last week with a 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
Ahead of taking on Chelsea on Tuesday in Charlotte in what will be their third and final game of their United States tour, Ancelotti said: “We’re not worried. The result is not so important. It’s preseason games and we are missing eight players. We’re working on our preparations and the players are gradually coming back to the team. The aim is for players to get minutes and to get them in good shape.”
Madrid kick off their season against Atalanta in the European Super Cup on Aug. 14 in Warsaw before kicking off their domestic campaign four days later at Mallorca.
Ancelotti will have a complete squad by Aug. 7 with summer signing Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal among the players returning from holidays.
“I can assure you that we are going to compete with the squad we have,” Ancelotti said. “We can fight for the seven titles. The calendar is very demanding but we have the quality to compete for everything, it is what the club commands.”
Ancelotti, meanwhile, has called for patience with teenage striker Endrick. The 18-year-old, who sealed his move Madrid on a permanent transfer from Palmeiras this summer, started in both of Madrid’s games in the U.S. but did not get on the scoresheet.
“We have to be patient with him,” Ancelotti said. “He has shown great quality and talent. As with [Arda] Güler last year, we don’t have to put pressure on the young players, he has a lot of pressure behind him, he is a very much loved player all over the world, especially in Brazil, but we must be patient with these players, with young people especially.”
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, meanwhile, praised his team’s youngsters after their victory in El Clásico which followed their midweek draw against Manchester City.
“We promote young people and develop talent, which for us is the most important thing,” Laporta said on Sunday at a club event in New York.
“We are very proud because there is work behind it. Of course we go to the market to sign good players, but for us it is essential to generate talent,” he added.
“We give importance to how we win. We gave a good image [against Madrid] and that is the most important thing.”
Barça complete their U.S. summer tour against AC Milan on Tuesday.