Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti responds to José Mourinho: “We have a great relationship”

Ancelotti’s contract with Real Madrid expires on June 30 and his future is still up in the air. A few days ago, Jose Mourinho said that the Italian coach was the best fit possible for Real Madrid and, as a result, he should continue in charge of the 14-time European champions.

Now, Ancelotti, in an interview for Dsport, has responded to his colleague’s revelation a week ago that “I am a Madridista and I hope Ancelotti stays there. He is the perfect coach for Real Madrid”.

“I listened to Mourinho”, Ancelotti said, “if he is Ancelottista I am Mourinhista. We have a great relationship. We also have a bond with Roma: I was captain there and I have fantastic memories of that time. I quite agree with him, only a madman would want to leave Madrid.”

‘So far we have done well despite the difficulties’

Ancelotti also spoke about the current situation at the club, where Madrid are leading in both LaLiga and the Champions League: “The key is to have a great squad that is motivated, with a good atmosphere, one in which everyone is convinced that they can contribute to the team. So far we have done well despite the difficulties we are having due to the large number of injuries. The team is holding up and everyone has played their part”.

The Real Madrid coach, who has been heavily linked with a move to Brazil, has been accused of not taking advantage of the strong youth system at the club, and he was given the opportunity to explain his thoughts on the matter: “Nico Paz looks very good, despite his age. He is very young, just like Gonzalo García or Mario Martín. They are players who can continue to evolve and have a career at Madrid, but they have to go little by little. We have to be careful with young players, but for the moment they are doing well. Raúl’s work has been fantastic”.

Current football calendar ‘unsustainable’ says Ancelotti

Finally, the Italian coach spoke about the tricky calendar, which has been a concern in recent weeks due to the large number of injuries that the squad have suffered: “The calendar is unsustainable. We can’t choose how it works, UEFA, FIFA and LaLiga do; they have to realise what is happening”.

“In the future it’s not going to get better, it’s going to get worse as we’re going to have both a World Cup and a Champions League with more games”, Carlo continued, “a strong players’ union could be key to change this. The most important part in the game of football is the players and when the most important ones are missing an important part of the show is also missing as a result”, he concluded.

Real Madrid’s next game is against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League and will be played on Wednesday, November 29, with kick off at 3 p.m. ET / 12 noon PT.