Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti slipped on Tuesday that his relationship had “not always been good” with Gennaro Gattuso, his former player now coach of Valencia, a club he will face in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday in Riyadh (8 p.m.).
“We had a great time together, we won two Champions Leagues (in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan, editor’s note), we had moments that I will remember forever. The relationship has not always been good between us, we had some personal problems which I don’t want to talk about,” Ancelotti said in a pre-match press conference.
The Italian technician, however, praised the “very intense game” and “the very clear identity” of the teams trained by Gattuso. “A lot of coaches have come out of this team (from AC Milan, editor’s note), Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Nesta… They may have learned something,” added “Carletto”.
“For my part, Ancelotti knows that I respect him a lot. Our problems were at work. But on a human and footballing level, I respect him enormously. We have won a lot together, and he is one of the best coaches in the world, ”reacted Gattuso in turn.
Carlo Ancelotti began his second stint on the Merengue bench with a coronation in the last Spanish Super Cup a year ago. “Titles are always important for us, for the club. Last year, this title gave us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, and I hope that will be the case this time too.
Real Madrid approach their trip to Saudi Arabia in a bit of a daze, after losing 2-1 to Villarreal on Saturday in La Liga.
“It was predictable that we would not be on top at that time of the season (at the end of the World Cup-2022, editor’s note). However, the signals were good, the game against Villarreal surprised me because the feelings were much better than what we showed on the pitch. The defensive aspect, in particular, has not been good”, underlined Ancelotti, who promised to try to “go home with a title”.
In the other semi-final, FC Barcelona will face Betis Sevilla.
