The tie between Cacereño and Real Madrid The game continued in the crowded press room of the Príncipe Felipe stadium because the subject that Carlo Ancelotti put on the table, the state of the pitch, even transcended the subsequent gatherings of the big television and radio media.
“Individual quality has slowed down with a pitch where you couldn’t play low, but we have adapted well”, indicated the Italian, who said openly that “you could not” play “. “For me this is not the football, It’s another sport, nice because the small teams can fight and compete with the bigger ones and it’s good for the fans, but the fans also want to see football played,” he declared.
His summary was that the game had been “even and competitive, with a lot of struggle, a lot of long balls, because there was no other way.” “I think the team hHe has fulfilled and I am satisfied for playing a game that he is not used to“, said. When asked if he had seen the tie in jeopardy at some point, he simply answered no, although he did not miss a compliment to Cacereño: “He has played very well and has pressed a lot, very high up, and that’s why we didn’t have the chance to handle the ball well”.
He insisted on the matter of the field when he was questioned about the performance of Eden Hazard and the goal of Rodrygo Goes, which he described as “fantastic”. “It is difficult to individually evaluate the game of the players because it was impossible to play and the smaller ones like Hazard and Rodrygo suffer in this type of match, but the team has complied and has done what it had to do”, he explained.
“I liked the team in everything, from the first minute to the last. I knew that we had to suffer and we have suffered, we have not risked practically anything behind. It is the second game after the break and second clean sheet, all good”, he remarked.
Cobo’s response
Julio Cobos, with his three categories below, did not hesitate to respond to the one who, after all, is still his professional colleague. Curiously, he used practically the same phrase: “this is football”. He also made reference to the age of the Madrid coach: “Ancelotti is older and has played in much worse fields than this. The field is bad or good for everyone. You need three touches and they one. Those excuses are useless.”
Cobos regretted that his team lacked “hit and perhaps gasoline until the end.” “We demand a lot from them, in attack and defense. Let them help their sides. With five changes, the day in Girona paid off. Today we have not been successful, ”he analyzed. He praised his players and the response from the fans. “We are not accustomed. You feel like in Primera. I would like to continue seeing the stands so full”, he stressed.
“We have played a very good game, we have been able to watch almost during the 90 minutes towards their field. They have reached us very little, but in the end the quality has been what has thrown us out. I am very proud of the team and the work they have done: “Real Madrid has suffered a lot, but the quality has left us out. I haven’t seen them happy, but in the end a player like Rodrygo arrives and scores a great goal for you, and there you can’t do much. If you watch the game, we have been closer than them to making it 1-0 ”, he analyzed.
His footballers endorsed his theses. “The field was bad for the 22 players, it was quite soft and there were too many slips,” said Iván Fernández, who highlighted the “great game” played by Cacereño. “The work of the entire season has been reflected, we have competed against a whole Real Madrid team,” he added.
