The hangover from the Cup took precedence over the match against Almería in Carlo Ancelotti’s press conference prior to the League match. The Real Madrid coach was very forceful about the debate in goal. “There is no internal debate,” he repeated twice in the face of insistent questions. The Italian, who was satisfied with his team’s performance despite the result at the Metropolitano, also wanted to emphasize that Madrid’s immediate schedule “suits us very well” for the team. After Almería, he will have a whole week to work on both the match against Las Palmas (Saturday 27) and Girona (February 10), with a double date against Getafe (February 1) and Atlético (February 4) in between.
LaLiga EA Sports 2023/2024
*Data updated as of January 20, 2024
After 18 days without playing at home, they return to the Bernabéu. How important is the fans to face games like tomorrow’s?
It is very important to play at home. The fans help and allow us to get the best. It is an important moment of the season, especially in the League, where we have five games in a row before the Champions League. We want to do well. The equipment is good. The equipment is good. Despite having played an extra time on Thursday night, the players have recovered very well. This morning’s training left me with a good feeling.
Are you satisfied with the management you have done of the goalkeepers? Do you do self-criticism? Do you think you’ve made a mistake about something?
Immaculate goalkeepers do not exist. Goalkeepers make mistakes, as Kepa and Lunin have done. This doesn’t change the trust I have in both of them. The debate is out of here. I hear it, but it’s not inside. There is no debate here. There is no debate here.
ANCELOTTI TALKS ABOUT…
The “two starters” formula suits both Lunin and Kepa badly: from the rotation, they concede 1.5 goals per night. Both come from failing in derbies, fueling the rumor. Entrenched issue.
After the derby, no high-sounding criticism was heard about Cuadra Fernández’s performance. The club’s channel has been quite critical. Do you share the opinions of Real Madrid TV? Do you think it’s a good idea to criticize referees before games?
As I said other times, there is freedom of expression. Everyone can say what they want. I don’t have to add more in this regard.
What plan do you have for tomorrow? Will you continue betting on a ‘safety’ eleven or will you introduce players with fewer minutes?
There are many players who deserve to play. I have to take this into account. If those who played Thursday’s game have recovered well, if there is fatigue… The sensations I have from training are that everyone has recovered well. We are going to bring out the best team because the objective is not to give minutes, but to win the games.
He doesn’t usually hit players, but the other day he left a message regarding what happened in extra time: “Sin of youth.” What happened for you to say that?
It’s not a stick. The analysis I made of the match is that with a little more control, extra time could also be handled better. We have players with quality, who try. In this sense we have had a lot of success, but there are times in games when there is a little fatigue and losing the ball a little less gives us more security. It’s just this. It is not a stick to the players. I have talked about it with the players. It has been something collective, not individual. Managing possession a little when you have total control of the game, and we did, can avoid counterattacks or unnecessary danger.
Have you spoken these two days with Vinicius, about everything, sports, non-sports…? Or does he leave him alone and let him gradually mature and play football?
The last time I spoke with Vinicius was on Tuesday. I thanked him for what he said and also because he scored three goals in the Super Cup final. I stayed there. I thank him for what he tries to do, I tell him the things he has to improve and above all thank him for scoring a hat-trick in the Super Cup final.
Is there corruption in arbitration?
I trust the arbitration system. What happened is under investigation. We have to wait to see what the decisions will be.
He has said that there is no internal debate in the goal, that he is outside. But these months you have acknowledged that you have been changing your mind. His speech has also changed. Does the fact that there is no internal debate mean that you have already decided on your starting goalkeeper?
There is no internal debate, there is no internal debate. I accept the debate outside, but not inside. I choose the goalkeeper and he’s done.
He said at the time that the defeat in the first derby helped them learn. Is there anything to learn from the Cup match?
I try to be as objective as possible. As I said, in the first League derby we did badly. From there things have improved. The Cup match was a very well played match. There are some situations that have cost us: we were not attentive at the back, but the team played very good football, created many opportunities, had control of the match against a very strong opponent. They deserved to win, just as Atlético did not deserve to lose the game, like the Super Cup. It came up tails and in the Super Cup it came up heads. They were two games with an extraordinary show and I am very happy with the team’s performance.
What do you think of the criticism of Tchouameni? What assessment do you make of his game? Do you have to improve something?
He did the Super Cup final at his best level. It was one of the best, if not the best game he played. The Cup match did not play from the beginning. Could you do better on Griezmann’s goal? Yes, he could do it, in this sense there is no doubt.
Do you think there is too little margin for error for Madrid, that even the slightest defeat starts to be questioned?
I don’t think. I listen and try to see what is happening in the locker room environment. We continue in a good dynamic and we are all happy, plugged in, motivated. What happens around us doesn’t matter much. The team is competing and playing football very well. Let’s continue, the quality is there. Apart from the crusaders, all the players are fine. We have the possibility of working in these two weeks, because before the Champions League starts we will have two weeks, next week and Girona, where we can work. (He approaches the microphone) This is very good for us.
Is tomorrow’s match against Almería a trap match?
We are focused on tomorrow’s game against a team that the data says only has six points, but that deserved to win against Girona, Atlético called time against them at the Metropolitano, they had the game tied against Barcelona… It is a team that we have to respect, because it has quality. He’s still alive, tomorrow he’s going to fight the game and we have to be ready.
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2024-01-20 11:54:09
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