Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid's goal remains to win every trophy possible this season, despite sitting eight points behind Barcelona in LaLiga.
Madrid have already won the Club World Cup, have qualified for the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and are well on their way to the last eight of the Champions League after their 5-2 first leg win at Liverpool in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
However, they have dropped points in five of their last 11 league games to fall well behind Barca in the title race, also losing to the Blaugrana in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's derby against Atletico Madrid, head coach Ancelotti recognised things could be better, but he is confident of pushing Madrid's Clasico rivals all the way in the remaining 16 league games.
"We're going to try to win every competition. We're second in the league, so that won't be easy," he said, later adding: "No, I am not happy with the season [so far].
"I would rather be eight points clear and have won the Supercopa de Espana, and a 5-0 result at Anfield would have been better than 5-2, but still, we're doing very well... Hopefully we can recover those lost points [in the league]."
Vinicius Junior was again key at Anfield in midweek, scoring twice, and Ancelotti spoke highly of the in-form Brazilian.
"He works hard, looks after himself, and it is so important that he can keep playing at this level and avoid injuries," he said.
"What Vinicius shows on the field is what he always tries in training. He has improved a lot in his finishing because he has trained a lot. After training, Vinicius spends 10 to 15 minutes to improve his shooting.
"The challenge ahead is continuity. Trying for 90 minutes, that's what's difficult."
Ancelotti revealed that midfield pair Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos will be available again after illness, while he also confirmed Nacho will start at left-back against Atletico amid uncertainty around his long-term future at the club.
"I see Nacho every day and there has been a time when he was not happy," he said. "He has not complained to me, and he has continued to suffer the period that he has not played. He has been a professional, and at the moment I always needed him, he has complied.
"I have a weakness which is that [I have to make sure] Madrid is happy... and that only happens if we win. I feel sorry for my players because I am very fond of them. I just want Real Madrid to be satisfied."
Leganes 0-3 Real Madrid: Mbappe and Bellingham score as Blancos close on Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were both on target as Real Madrid moved to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a 3-0 win at Leganes.
Federico Valverde also scored for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who still have a game in hand on leaders Barca, who were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Mbappe ended a goal drought of over 400 minutes after being teed up by Vinicius Junior shortly before half-time, moments after Leganes had surrendered possession near the edge of their own area.
Madrid dominated possession throughout the second half and doubled their advantage in the 66th minute, Valverde drilling a low effort home from a free-kick won by Bellingham.
Bellingham later got in on the act with a header on the rebound after substitute Brahim Diaz rattled the crossbar, as Madrid cruised to back-to-back league wins.
Data Debrief: Dirty work pays off for Madrid
Mbappe's opener, scored at a vital time shortly before the interval, set Madrid on their way to victory on Sunday.
Eduardo Camavinga and Bellingham both pressed high to help the visitors recover possession in the build-up, and Madrid have now scored five goals resulting from high turnovers in LaLiga this season – the most of any team across Europe's top five leagues.
This was the first time Ancelotti had faced Leganes in LaLiga, and he has now beaten all 28 different opponents he has come up against in the competition.
Napoli 1-0 Roma: Lukaku downs former club on Ranieri's return
Claudio Ranieri's Roma return was spoilt by Romelu Lukaku, whose goal against his old club sealed a 1-0 win for Napoli.
Ranieri was appointed Roma boss over the international break, with the 73-year-old coming out of retirement to take charge of the club for a third time.
Yet it was ex-Roma striker Lukaku who decided Sunday's contest at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with his 54th-minute effort sending Antonio Conte's team back to the top of Serie A.
Lukaku was well-placed to convert from Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cutback, bringing up his fifth Serie A goal of the campaign.
Roma, who had just two attempts and managed only 0.07 expected goals (xG) in the first half, woke up after Lukaku's goal, with Artem Dovbyk powering a header off the woodwork from a free-kick minutes later, but the visitors' comeback attempts proved fruitless.
Ranieri's next task is to rally his troops for a Europa League clash with Tottenham on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Ranieri's underwhelming return
There was no sign of an immediate upturn for 12th-place Roma, if they were hoping for a new-coach bounce.
Roma ended the first half with fewer than 70 successful passes (68). It is the first time they have had so few successful passes in the opening half of a league game since 2004-05.
With only three wins to their name in the league, they have won fewer than four matches in their opening 13 Serie A games for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign (also three).
And of course, it had to be Lukaku, who was leading their line last season, that delivered the hammer blow. The Belgium international has been involved in nine goals in Serie A this term (five goals, four assists). Only his former Everton club-mate Ademola Lookman, now a star at Atalanta, has contributed to more goals in the competition (seven goals, four assists).
Amorim believes Man Utd were guilty of overthinking in Ipswich draw
Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United were guilty of overthinking as his Premier League managerial bow ended in a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town.
The Red Devils made a flying start to the Portuguese's tenure as Marcus Rashford netted in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser restored parity and Andre Onana had to make a couple of big saves from Liam Delap to ensure Amorim started with a point.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Amorim said: "I think my players were thinking too much during the game, they were thinking not just with the ball, but, 'where am I supposed to be?'
"It is hard because the team has been together only two days, I think we needed more in the first half with the physicality, because they left us one against one up front so we have to use those moments to feel the opponent.
"I think we lost some balls without pressure and when you start a game like this, you score one goal, then you have to control the ball, you have to control the tempo of the game.
"We cannot do it at the moment but they tried, they really, really tried. I know for some guys it's hard to understand this but they're trying and they really want this."
Amorim conceded that United, who are 12th in the Premier League, need to be better in their game management moving forward.
"I think that is a concern because you can understand you don't need to coach them at this level (how) you have to keep the ball, put the momentum in to put the ball up front," he added.
"At the end of the game, we are around the box with two strikers, Josh (Zirkzee) has to understand he has to go to the box to have the crosses, so we are doing things not in the right moment. That is something we have to address.
"Everyone talks about the 3-4-3 – that is not the problem, but the understanding of the game... we have to improve in this area."
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