Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti offered no excuses after defeat at home to Villarreal.

Real slumped to a 2-3 reverse on Saturday to all but end hope of catching LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

Ancelotti said. "We struggled to win the ball back. We tried to win it back in the opposition half, but we lacked balance and that's why we conceded three goals. Villarreal play very well with the ball and they force you out of position. We took the lead twice, but we weren't able to score a third and we lost the game. The lack of balance was key.

"We didn't deserve to lose although we could have played much better. Physically the team is fine and, having so many chances, we didn't really deserve to lose but we lacked the balance we've had in recent games. We took the lead on two occasions and should have been more consistent. Our level in the league has dropped compared to last year.

"We're not going to let our guard down. That won't happen. There are 10 games left and we're going to fight every game to get as many points as possible.

"Preparing for a game between two matches that are much more important is complicated, especially in terms of motivation. Today we didn't have balance and we didn't play as a team."