Carlo Ancelotti criticised the state of Cacereno's pitch after his Real Madrid side's hard-fought 1-0 Copa del Rey victory on Tuesday, saying "you can't play football" on surfaces like that.
Madrid's fourth-tier opponents put up a stubborn performance against the European and LaLiga champions, but a superb 69th-minute strike from Rodrygo was enough to see Ancelotti's side into the round of 16.
The poor standard of the surface at Estadio Principe Felipe made it difficult for Madrid to get going as they made hard work of avoiding a massive upset.
Ancelotti was frustrated with the quality of the turf, telling reporters: "You can't play football. For me it's not football, it's another sport.
"It's nice because small teams can fight and compete with bigger teams. It's good for the fans, but the fans also want to see nice games."
Despite Madrid's lacklustre performance against a team three leagues below them, Ancelotti was content with how his team played, saying: "Rodrygo made a fantastic play, the rest was an even and competitive game.
"A lot of struggle, a lot of long balls, it couldn't be done any other way. The team has complied and I'm satisfied, it was a game we're not used to.
"I liked everything, from the first minute to the last, I knew we had to suffer. We didn't risk anything, the line of defence was fine, a clean sheet, everything was fine."
While Ancelotti was unhappy with the standard of Cacereno's pitch, he was complimentary of their team, adding: "They played very well.
"They pressed high up, we didn't have the chance to handle the ball well."
Chelsea quartet left at home as Bompastor rotates squad for Celtic clash
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said that they will be without four key players ahead of their Champions League game away to Celtic on Wednesday.
Bompastor confirmed that Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan have not travelled to Scotland for their encounter at Celtic Park.
The Blues know a victory will seal their progression to the knockout stages, though have decided to rest a few of their key players during a hectic fixture schedule.
Their trip to Scotland will be the second of three matches inside seven days in all competitions for Bompastor's side and, as a result, she has decided to rotate her squad.
"The squad is in a good place and we have a good dynamic and we are full of confidence," she told a press conference
"We have been playing a lot of games and this week we play three games so it’s important to manage players as individuals.
“We have some players who didn’t travel for this game. Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez didn’t travel."
Chelsea come into the game with a 100% record in all competitions under Bompastor, including two wins from two against Real Madrid and Twente in the Champions League.
And they will be confident of maintaining their perfect run, having lost just one of their previous 20 group stage matches in the competition (W14 D5) and are unbeaten across their last 14 (W11 D3).
“As you know, Chelsea have a good squad with quality and a good team will start the game and be competitive because we want to finish first in this group," she said.
Their early-season form has them second in the Women's Super League and top of their Champions League group, at least three points ahead of any other team.
Despite resting players, Bompastor reassured people that it was Chelsea's ambition to fight on all fronts.
“The Champions League is important and we have ambition and we want to make sure we finish first in the group," she said.
“We have ambitions and if we want to go for all the competitions then you need to beat every team.
“It will start again in March and that’s when the really important games start, but right now we are focused on the group stage.”
Rodrygo and Vazquez add to growing Real Madrid injury problems
Real Madrid have announced that Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez are both set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining muscle injuries in the first half against Osasuna.
Rodrygo was taken off after just 20 minutes, while Vazquez lasted until half-time before making way.
The Brazilian has seen a more limited role for Madrid this season, playing just 667 minutes in LaLiga so far, but has netted three goals and registered one assist in that time. He is reportedly set to be out for five to six weeks.
He has also played the third-most crosses of any Los Blancos player in the Spanish top-flight (22), while he has attempted (32) and completed (14) the third-most dribbles in the squad so far this term.
Vazquez's absence will reportedly be about a month, giving Carlo Ancelotti a headache at right-back, with Dani Carvajal already out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
This news comes after Madrid confirmed on Saturday that Eder Militao required surgery on an ACL tear he suffered in the first half of the same game.
Bellingham 'a little bit too nice' in Real Madrid goal drought
Jude Bellingham suggested he had previously "done a bit too much" for his Real Madrid team-mates and "been a little bit too nice" after ending his goal drought.
England superstar Bellingham scored 23 times for Madrid in all competitions in the 2023-24 season, his first with the club.
But prior to their 4-0 win over Osasuna in LaLiga on Saturday, he was yet to get off the mark for this campaign.
Bellingham netted Madrid's second goal, with a Vinicius Junior hat-trick accounting for the others, yet he is still lagging behind the efforts of previous seasons.
The 21-year-old has played 1,118 minutes this term, having netted every 158 minutes in his debut Madrid campaign.
Bellingham has not underperformed against his expected goals total across a season since marginally doing so for Borussia Dortmund in 2020-21, but his sole goal in 2024-25 has come from chances worth 3.1 xG.
His shot conversion rate of 4.35% is comfortably a new low at Dortmund or Madrid, too.
Those numbers come with the context of Bellingham's altered role in the team, however, as Carlo Ancelotti makes room for star signing Kylian Mbappe in the XI.
"A lot of people were talking about it because last year I scored loads of goals," Bellingham told Real Madrid TV of his goal drought. "But I think I'm playing a different role this year. I'm doing different things in different parts of the pitch.
"It's one of those things, I'll do anything for the team. Maybe I've done a bit too much and been a little bit too nice.
"From now on, I think I'll get a feeling for it, and I'll try to carry on, but if not I'll keep trying to help the team in any way I can."
Bellingham scored from one of two attempts against Osasuna, taking his fifth Opta-defined big chance of the season, while he laid on the assist for Vinicius' opener.
"I felt like I did what I normally do," he explained. "But the only difference is that I managed to add a goal."
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