Ancelotti: “This could be my last final”

A couple of hours after Jagoba Arrasate attended the media in the press room at La Cartuja, it was the turn of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. Infinitely more experienced in big occasions such at this - he has lived through countless finals, both and a player and as a coach. This will be his fourth this season, after the UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and Club World Cup finals. The Italian knows all about the pressures and media expectation that comes to the fore whenever there is silverware to be won, and insists he never takes anything for granted...

How excited are you about winning the Copa? “Playing in a final is always very exciting. I always personally think it may be the last. That’s what I thought in 2003, and it wasn’t the last, and I think the same today. I ask the players to enjoy this moment because they are special matches and we have prepared for it with all the desire and enthusiasm in the world. We have beaten Cáceres, Villarreal, beat Atlético in extra-time... We got here with merit, and now the idea is to enjoy these hours running up to the game and to make the best of it tomorrow to win”.

Is it possible to go out to compete without thinking about Tuesday’s clash with City? “Tomorrow, without thinking about anything other than what we have to do against Osasuna. We will give every ouch of energy to be able to win another competition. The players are very motivated. Preparing for these matches with this squad is quite simple”.

Is Luka Modric ready to start? “That’s a question we have. Yesterday he trained very well, without problems. Today he will do it again and then we will evaluate it with him. If he’s comfortable, he will play, that’s clear. We’ll talk to him after training.

What is at stake for Carlo Ancelotti in the next eleven days? “The Copa del Rey final and a semi-final. Nothing else. I don’t risk my life, it’s okay. It would be better to prepare the semi-final with another Copa del Rey in the trophy cabinet. My future is clear: my contract expires on 30 June 2024, not tomorrow.”

You have been in a lot of finals, do you know exactly how many?

“No, I don’t. Do you? Tell me! Including the ones I played in, I don’t know, no idea”.

Does it seem fair to you that, despite having a contract, your continuity at Real Madrid is at stake over the next eleven days? “Talking about this today is not right. What I have and what I want to say is that I have an extraordinary affection every day with the president and José Ángel and for me, that’s enough. The whole club, the players…”

Is Modric only going to play if he’s at 100%? “Of course. If the player does not feel comfortable, we are not going to risk it. If the player is well, he will play”.

In the last league game you weren’t very happy with your defence, have you spoken to them? “When I analyze a game, I usually share it with the players and although sometimes they may not agree, in recent games we all agree. Of course it will change. These are special matches.”

How do you manage physically and mentally having three games in less than 72 hours?: “At the moment in soccer, three days off are enough without considering the trip, that's why we're staying here tomorrow, to sleep the right hours and recover better”.

How is Alaba? Will he start tomorrow? “We have evaluated him and he is doing very well. He trained with a heavy work load and the data is excellent. At first we thought not to risk him tomorrow, but in football you can never be 100% sure of anything. But there is no injury, he is fully recovered. He’ll start tomorrow”.

Napoli celebrated winning Serie A but Madrid won’t be able to celebrate if you win tomorrow... “Why not? When you win, you have to celebrate. But then there are different ways of doing so. Normally, we celebrate with the fans afterwards and we like doing that. of course. Napoli are celebrating because they have won Serie A after 30 years, so it’s a huge achievement and I understand, for example, their euphoria. Let’s hope we can do the same - we will celebrate if we win”.

Madrid could win their third trophy this season, would not winning the Champions League take the shine off it? “We are focused on winning tomorrow. It would be nice to win as it would mean we have won everything that is possible to win in two years. We’re going to give it one final push. Closing that circle would be very nice”.

Would it be physically possible to field the same starting XI tomorrow, and three days later against City? “Yes, I could do it. On Sunday-Monday we will evaluate the demands of this final”.

Have the players who don’t usually start made it more difficult for you to decide on a team for tomorrow? “Electing players for a final is always difficult because we have got here, not because of 11 players but because of the commitment of a lot of players. Asensio and Ceballos, for example, gave the push to get through the tie against Villarreal. But only 11 can play, and that means taking the merit from others who have been important for us in this competition”.

You told Jagoba Arrasate you’d see each other in the final... what are your predictions for tomorrow? “I told Arrasate because he already knew... I told him that it would be an even, competitive match against a very strong, well organised opponent. It is a very important game for them and we must be ready. It will be difficult, complicated. We’ll need to be fully prepared for all of the difficult moments of the game that we’ll go through”.