Ancelotti does not intend to rotate against Athletic

Carlo Ancelotti says he is not worried about the physical and mental exhaustion of Real Madrid, so despite the fact that the white team will face its fourth game in eleven days this Wednesday, the Italian coach does not plan to reserve players against Athletic, in a postponed match of the ninth day of the League. “Rotate to rotate, no. If there is physical wear and tear, it is better to avoid risks, but if the footballer is well, it is better for him to play ”, acknowledged Ancelotti on Tuesday, before facing a duel with opposing dynamics. While Real Madrid is on a roll, since they have won eight of their last nine games, Athletic have not beaten for five, and have not been victorious for more than a month, and they face a leader in a cursed Bernabéu for him. He has a 9-2 record since the start of his particular Everest, with home wins against Granada (1-4) and Sheriff (0-3) and a suffered victory against Sevilla against his fans (2-1), decided by a great goal from Vinicius and a stoppage from Courtois in the last breath.

Real Madrid is not very reliable at the Bernabéu, where they have yielded two draws in six league games, but even if they do not play well they are getting their commitments forward, clinging to the Vinicius-Benzema society and its incombustible trident in midfield (Modric -Casemiro-Kroos), who in principle does not consider breaking Ancelotti until one of them is exhausted. “Against Athletic, in a game that will demand a lot from us, like that of Sevilla, we have to have offensive clarity and a good balance, because it is a team that plays a vertical attack and balance is very important,” Ancelotti stressed this Tuesday. , for whom the team led by Marcelino “is a compact team, well organized at the back, which concedes few goals because it works very well defensively.” “Real Madrid are in a great moment, but we are better than the results say, we will compete and try to win at the Bernabéu,” the Asturian Athletic coach warned.

Athletic is the team with the least thrashed in the League, with only ten goals against, but outside of San Mamés their performance is quite poor, like the visitor who has achieved the fewest points, accustomed to draws at home (six in seven games) and with a single victory in 22 visits to the Real Madrid field. A burden that shelters the people of Bilbao every time they go to the Bernabéu, although this time they trust that the whites will show fatigue and can take advantage of the difficulties that whites usually encounter against closed and orderly rivals. However, in defense Athletic will have the loss of Iñigo Martínez, an a priori absence more important than that of Madrid, because since Ancelotti will not risk with Alaba after playing against Sevilla despite his sprain against the Sheriff, it will be Nacho who will take the place of the Austrian.

Hazard, “will have minutes”

“Militao and Alaba are combining their qualities well, but Nacho also has a good combination, a good physical and tactical quality is very good,” praised Ancelotti, who finally recovered Hazard after having recovered from his gastroenteritis to receive Athletic than Rodrygo–, and without having recently suffered any muscle injury of the kind that are chasing the Belgian. Okay, in good condition. He has not had muscle discomfort. There is nothing else behind it ”, Ancelotti concluded when asked if Hazard had relapsed and if the footballer who cost 160 million euros was really affected psychologically.

Hazard’s problem is a physical problem. You have to improve your condition and have minutes, because that is how you will improve your condition. He must wait his moment to play more minutes. He is fine and I think he will have minutes, “said the Madrid coach, who in the absence of the Belgian in recent games has bet on Asensio on the right wing in an offensive trident in which Benzema and Vinicius, main protagonists of the team’s winning streak, are indisputable. «Vinicius does not feel like a star, because he is still very humble. He has players with experience and personality by his side who will help him to know what his position in the squad is, a squad that is well made and can compete until the end ”, underlined the coach who ruled out signings in the winter market , although no exits “if there are players who are not happy.”