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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said that his players not panicking after conceding early, and sticking to their gameplan, was key to Saturday's 3-1 La Liga clasico win over Barcelona. Barca went in front after just four minutes through Neymar, and might have made it 2-0 when Lionel Messi had a great chance saved by Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas midway through the first half. But Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to equalise before the break, and two early second half goals from Pepe and Karim Benzema put their side in complete control of a game they could have won by even more. The Blancos boss told his post-match news conference that his players' ability to keep working and keep believing had been most important in turning the game around. "The best thing was the effort we put in," Ancelotti said. "We did not lose our heads after conceding a goal. We stuck to our idea of play and everything came out well. I liked many things of my team, the tempo was high, we recovered well after the effort on Wednesday. We wanted to attack, with possession, using the wings. In the second half we won because we wanted to win it." Madrid were six points behind Barca in the table in September, after embarrassing defeats to Real Sociedad and at home to Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu. But, after six straight victories, Los Blancos are now just one point behind the Catalans in the table, and appear to hold a clear psychological advantage. Ancelotti said his players had changed their mindsets after those early setbacks, and gone about getting back into the title race through hard work and a serious attitude. "I always felt that the defensive problem was not about quality, but about sacrifice, about running," he said. "I have a serious and professional team who knows how to play for Madrid and sacrifice themselves. It is important because the opponent was very strong. And we achieved our objective of making up points. So we are all satisfied." The unassuming character also played down his own contribution to what has appeared a change in Madrid's gameplan from counter-attacking to a more possession based style. "This moment is very good," Ancelotti said. "I do not know if it is up to my decisions, but my idea is that we can play this type of football. I am proud of these players, because their professionalism and seriousness is unique. I am talking about concentration, of thinking about what they do, of following the strategy and the instructions." Asked by local reporters about Spanish starlet Isco's individual contribution to the win, Ancelotti said the former Malaga player had done well, as had all his team. "[Isco's] work was fantastic, but to beat Barça we need everyone working," he said. "Benzema was up for it, like they all were. We could also talk about Isco, Cristiano, Pepe, who scored the second goal. They were all at a very high level. And it was not easy after just two and a half days of rest after the Liverpool game." Ancelotti was also asked if Gareth Bale, watching from the stands as he recovers from his latest back injury, would now have trouble breaking back into the team. "Bale is fundamental in this team and will play, but I am not thinking about only having 11 important players," he said. "This is good for all the squad."
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