Carlo Ancelotti has shrugged off Xavi Hernandez’s comments after last weekend’s El Clasico, saying they were not meant to be disrespectful.
The Barcelona midfielder said afterwards that Real Madrid was only a counter-attacking team, remarks that did not sit well with the majority of Los Blancos’ supporters.
Even so, Ancelotti believes the Spanish international’s words were not intended to cause offence.
“I don’t consider it a lack of respect, only a technical opinion from a player with great experience,” the Italian told a Press conference.
“It’s obvious that Real Madrid are great on the counter-attack but we don’t try to do just that.
“We also attempt to control the play with lots of possession in search of a quick offensive solution.
“That’s what we tried to do against Barcelona,” he explained.
