Ancelotti criticises VAR and LaLiga's refereeing
Carlo Ancelotti bemoaned the standard of refereeing and the impact the video assistant referee (VAR) is having on delaying games as Real Madrid prepares to visit Elche in LaLiga.
Madrid was held to a 0-0 draw with Osasuna on Thursday (AEDT), making it three home matches without a win in all competitions.
However, Los Blancos felt they should have had a first-half penalty, Vinicius Junior supposedly taken down by Lucas Torro but neither referee Cesar Soto Grado nor VAR saw an infringement.
Speaking before the trip to Elche, Ancelotti explained his frustrations with Spanish top-flight officiating while comparing the quality to his previous tenure.
"I don't want to get into the issue of the referees," Ancelotti said at the pre-match news conference.
"There is a lot of trouble. I think that in general the end of matches are very interrupted and that has to be fixed because it is not good for the show.
"I am convinced that VAR is a good invention but in things that are not objective it is a bit complicated. I believe that VAR has fixed many things up to now.
"There are some rules that are complicated. And some unfair. For me, when a player is offside, he is offside.
"The level of the Spanish referees is neither better nor worse. It is different.
"Spanish football is now a more global football, with more styles than before when I was there. In my first stage, Spanish football was more physical."
Madrid has enjoyed consistent success on visits to Elche, which has lost nine of its past 10 LaLiga meetings with Saturday's opponent.
Indeed, Ancelotti's side has gone five top-flight away games without losing at Elche but he implored his team to improve their finishing.
"We prepare for the game knowing that we have to continue with this commitment and try to play well and do things well from a strategic point of view," he continued.
"We need to work on the offensive aspect. We work to create opportunities and we have them but we must improve the finishes.
"I don't have any non-negotiable system. I think 4-3-3 is where the players are most satisfied but nothing else. You also have to see the situation of the matches."
