Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says that his side's 2-1 defeat at Valencia on Sunday should just be a hiccup and will not lead him to change anything at the club.
After a whirlwind start from the home side at the Mestalla, Madrid seemed to have taken control through Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty, but two second-half goals from Antonio Barragan and Nicolas Otamendi gave Valencia a win they ultimately deserved on the balance of play.
The result put an end to Madrid's record run of 22 consecutive competitive victories, with the sequence stopping two short of the world record held by Brazilian club Curitiba.
However, Ancelotti told a news conference after the game that one loss did not mean the team were heading in the wrong direction.
"Today's defeat was going to happen sooner or later," Ancelotti said. "We are well placed in La Liga. We are in a lot of competitions. This defeat will not affect us because behind the scenes we are working very well. We have been doing well up until now, and we will do well again after this defeat. We should not forget what we have done."
Madrid missed some clear chances through the 90 minutes, with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos among the players to miscue when well placed.
Ancelotti conceded that with better finishing his team would have taken the three points.
"I thought the team did well," he said. "We played a good game, but we did not have the luck to score when we could have made it 2-0 or 2-1. There is nothing to do about the style of the team or the work we are doing. We had key chances which we did not finish. In football this can happen. We did not score, but this does not say anything. The whole team's work was very good."
Roared on by a passionate Mestalla crowd, the home players picked up six yellow cards to Madrid's three bookings, but Ancelotti did not criticise referee Jesus Gil Manzano.
"Valencia were a strong team, and we had prepared well," he said. "Congratulations to Valencia who fought a lot. The referee had a good game. It was a difficult game with pressure from the fans, and many tough challenges. Valencia are a solid team with a lot of quality."
Next up in a busy start to 2015 for Madrid is Wednesday's Copa del Rey last-16 first-leg game at Atletico Madrid, for who returning hero Fernando Torres could make his second debut.
Ancelotti would not reveal if he was planning to rotate his lineup, with more games to come in La Liga and the Copa del Rey through the coming weeks.
"For Wednesday, we have to think about putting out the best team possible," he said. "In the physical aspect, the team was good today, above all at the end of the game."