Real Madrid Stumble in Mallorca Draw: Ancelotti Blasts "Lack of Commitment"

Real Madrid's title defence got off to a rocky start on Saturday, with the reigning La Liga champions held to a disappointing 1-1 draw away at Mallorca in their opening fixture of the 2024-25 season.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed his displeasure with his side's performance, particularly in the second half, highlighting a lack of "attitude" and "collective commitment" as key factors in the draw.

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the 13th minute at the Son Moix Stadium, following a slick passing move involving Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior. However, Mallorca levelled the score in the second half through a headed goal from Vedat Muriqi.

Despite enjoying plenty of possession, Madrid were unable to find a winner, and their frustration was compounded in the closing stages when defender Ferland Mendy was shown a red card for a reckless challenge.

"In the second half, we lacked balance," Ancelotti lamented in his post-match press conference. "We gave away counterattacks and crosses. It wasn't a good game. We have to defend better, and most importantly, have more balance on the pitch."

"We're not happy today. I don't want to make excuses. We simply had to do better, with more attitude," he added. "But we can learn a lot from this game. It was clear where we had problems."

Despite winning La Liga last season by a comfortable 10-point margin over rivals Barcelona, and the recent arrival of star forward Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid looked vulnerable at times against a well-organised Mallorca side.

Mbappé played the full 90 minutes but failed to find the back of the net, despite having four attempts on goal, two of which were on target.

Ancelotti acknowledged Mallorca's performance, praising the new manager, Jagoba Arrasate, and calling the draw "the correct result".

"The defending wasn't good, it was difficult for us to win the ball back after losing possession," Ancelotti admitted. "That's where we need to improve. When I talk about defending, I'm talking about attitude and collective commitment."

"The team was too open. We have to focus more, as we usually do, with more concentration, be more together. People might think it's a problem for the forwards, but when the forwards press, the midfielders don't help and the defenders stay back. It isn't one or the other," he added.

Despite the disappointing draw, Real Madrid still have the UEFA Super Cup in their trophy cabinet, having defeated Atalanta 2-0 in Warsaw on Wednesday.

Their next La Liga fixture is at home to Real Valladolid on August 25th, followed by a trip to Las Palmas four days later. Ancelotti will be hoping for an improved performance from his side as they seek to get their La Liga title defence back on track.