REAL MADRID
Carlo Ancelotti press conference before the LaLiga Santander game vs Valencia
The Italian coach talked about the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, his future at the club and the poor form of some of his important players.
After the hurricane comes the calm. At least that’s what Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti wanted to transmit to the press ahead of the visit to Mestalla, that the strange silence that had encased the press room was not anxiety but mere serenity.
“Has the club guaranteed your future?” he was asked in what would be the theme of the day. “Yes”, came the firm response. He was quickly tackled on Benzema’s form, too, and said that “I don’t know why you doubt Karim” when quizzed on Madrid’s desire for a new number nine, “he had a bad game in Manchester, but not just him.”
‘It’s not the moment to talk about next season’
How do you see the team?” asked one journalist. Ancelotti decided to avoid the potential for a “with my eyes” joke, instead saying that “they are prepared, with everyone available. Over the past few days we’ve tried to get the good feelings back, and tomorrow there is a chance for us to do things well. We want to finish the season strongly and going all out for the final four matches. Valencia will put a lot of energy into the game but we will be prepared.”
The question of a new striker, the ‘end of a cycle’ and a bigger squad have been on the lips and in the ears of the media over the past few days, and the Italian was asked about signing a new forward for next season: “It’s not the moment to talk about next season”, he said, “we will meet with the club, but for now we have only reviewed what happened on Wednesday and before. We’ll talk about the future, but right now it’s not the moment. The game against City was very bad and we are hurt. Until that moment, it was a good season, and the one before that was unforgettable.”
The question about Benzema was hit with a straight bat by Ancelotti, but that did not stop the follow-up question from being on exactly the same topic: “You understand why Benzema is being doubted for next season?” he was asked. “It doesn’t make sense to doubt him”, came the reply. “He had a bad game, but not just him. He is still a club legend. On Wednesday the team played badly, not just Karim.”
Ancelotti spoke to Pérez after the City defeat
Carlo didn’t want to put a number on how he would rate the season, saying “it was good, but it could have been better. Of course we’re not satisfied about the league, but we fought until the end of other competitions, and won three. I am just as motivated as when I arrived, even more after the defeats. The excitement of being at Madrid is always at a maximum.”
Ancelotti was (finally) asked about the upcoming game against Valencia and, given that he has a full squad, what starting team he would put out. “The best team possible”, he said, “We are rested and I will put the best players out. I’ll rotate more next Wednesday.”
And now came the elephant in the room: Ancelotti’s position as head coach. “Everyone knows very well my situation: I have a contract until 2024 and I want to continue”, he said. “We had a meeting [with Florentino Pérez] in which he showed his support for me. We spoke yesterday, like every week. We are still excited about moving forward and doing things well.”
Carlo opens up on the transition from the club veterans
Does football move too fast? came the next question, if you’d have won at the Etihad, the conversations would be very different... “Well, it was a semi-final”, said Carlo, “we were very close to playing in another final and we are hurt. Manchester City had a great game and I congratulate them on that. Now it’s time to think about the next Champions League.”
Just like with Benzema, the questions soon arrived regarding Kroos and Modric, two older players who struggled in midweek. Ancelotti laughed when asked if they should continue to carry the weight of the team in the bigger games. “Good question!”, he said, before a long pause...
“It’s a tough one to answer, but I will. There is a lot of talk about the ‘transition’ and that it will start next season, but it’s not true, it started even before I got here. In 2018 the team lost important pieces, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, and since then a lot of young players have come into the side. Then Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Bale and Isco all left, and extraordinary young players came in. Vinicius had a huge impact last season and this season he’s undroppable. The same goes for Camavinga and Rodrygo, both coming on from the bench, now they’re undroppable. Tchouaméni was the same in the first half of the season.
Ancelotti says player contract renewals are ‘serious’
They talk about the transition happening next season, but it’s already here! The young players, little by little, will have more playing time and more importance and the older players will have less. But I repeat: this happened before I got here. When Modric, Kroos, Nacho and Carvajal don’t play for this team anymore, then it will have ended.”
Carlo was asked about the absence in the team of left-back, Ferland Mendy, who has been sidelined with injury for a large part of the campaign, and has been rumoured with an exit from Madrid. “Of course I want him to stay. Last season he showed he has a high defensive level and now that he is coming back to fitness, he will be important again.”
The penultimate question came about the renewals of the aforementioned veterans, to which Ancelotti said that they are “serious and professional. They are talking and they will decide whenever they want to.”
And finally, a question on the form of Fede Valverde, who, according to the journalist, has suffered a dip in performances: “it’s true that he has not been at the level of the first half of the season”, Ancelotti said, “but even so, he has been spectacular. He is suffering from a problem in his foot that doesn’t allow him to play at 100%, but the overall impression of his season is very good. He has been the difference in a lot of games. Perhaps on Wednesday he wasn’t at his best level, but the same goes for everyone. For me, he is still a fantastic midfielder who will make history at this club.”
