Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team will refuse to play matches if they do not get at least 72 hours of rest in advance.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice when Madrid defeated 2-1 on Saturday in Laliga.
However, the game came less than three full days after Madrid's Champions League collision with Atletico Madrid, who went the distance from punishments.
Los Blancos progressed in the shoot-out, but Ancelotti said his team far from energy.
“I think today is the last time that we play a game before 72 hours. We will never play a game with less than that,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“The team is exhausted, but that was to be expected. It is a victory that says a lot about our team and the resources we have.
“I am very proud. It was a difficult game, because of everything we went through, the hours of peace and the power of the opponent. They are a good team, but we were physically struggling.
7 – @Realmadriden won an @Lalgaen match against Villarreal for the first time since February 2017, which ended their worst Windless Run away from home in the competition against the same opponent (G7 D6 L1) since Deportivo La Coruña between 1992 and 2008 (G17 D5 L12). Wow. pic.twitter.com/hvkkewzkyb
– Optajose (@Optajose) March 15, 2025
“The explanation is that this team has something special, character, dedication, but they can't always do it, sometimes I even get angry with them. We have to thank these players for their enormous effort.”
Ancelotti noted that his club had contacted Liga about the planning conflicts, but still had to receive an answer.
Madrid Top Laliga at 60 points, three free from the second place Barcelona, who have two games in hand for the meeting of Sunday with Atleti.
“The most important thing for us was to win today, tomorrow I will go to the [Barcelona] Game but as a football fan. The result doesn't matter, “said Ancelotti.
Madrid, who fell behind Juan Foyth's early goal, defeated Villarreal on the road in Laliga for the first time since February 2017.
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