“Everyone takes Real Madrid as dead, but we will not give up”
“Real Madrid” head coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke at a press conference before the match against “Villarreal” in the 1/8 finals of the Spanish Cup.
Game with Villarreal: “It’s an opportunity. It’s a difficult moment. It’s a difficult game, but we see it as an opportunity to get out of this situation.”
Barca talks about the new era: “I don’t enter into this debate. Barca has always been a great rival, they are and will be in the future.”
Will Courtois and Benzema play? – Yes, they will play tomorrow.
?¡@Mr Ancelotti in the rueda de prensa!
? @VillarrealCF | #CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/3ROnQaYKDx— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) January 18, 2023
How do you see the team? “It’s difficult to be fit. But injuries have affected us. Tchouameni, Alaba, Lucas… It was impossible to predict. It’s normal not to be at the top at the moment. January is a complicated month. We have to endure these games. Everyone is giving Real Madrid as dead, but we are thinking of coming back. The season is very long. We have to endure this period. We will play against strong teams with good dynamics. We will not give up. We will overcome it. I don’t know when. It will be tomorrow. Hopefully, we will fight until the end.”
They are talking about the end of an era in Barcelona: “I’m talking about the Real Madrid moment. This is a young team. Camavinga, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Valverde, Militao, Tchouameni and more to come. This is the beginning of an era at the club. The players who are celebrating. a very important era is approaching the end of their careers. More than the end, I think, this is just the beginning. This is the transition from the fantastic era. The day Kareem and Luka stop playing, others will take over. This is not the end. , this is the beginning.”
Critics of Kroos and Modric: “They are two different cases. Tony is performing very well, he is in good physical condition. He did not go to the World Cup. He contributed to the team. Luka is different, his form is not optimal.”
Still ejaculating during the break: “It wasn’t a technical change against Valencia, he was doing well. I changed him not to play with 10 players. He could have done better defensively against Barca, but I wanted the players to be up front. It’s true that I took him out of a few games. At half-time .”
Defensive issues and Nacho’s role: “Nacho is a very reliable player. The truth is that we were too optimistic recently and conceded six goals. Alaba’s penalty and five other goals could have been avoided with more pessimism. We offered five inevitable goals.”
What did you learn in 2015? “These are coincidences. We had a setback in January last year. We got better from it and we will do the same this season.”
Kroos as a pivot, is he your 5 without Tchouaméni? “No. We think about it every time. Kroos can be more useful in clearing the ball, and in other games a more defensive turn can be more useful. In this case, Camavinga can play as a pivot.”
Why doesn’t Barca trust Kantera more? “It’s hard to say. The club takes great care of its academy. There are young players who are progressing very well. Every era has its moments. I think the players of 2004 are very good and will soon be useful to the first team. .”
What is the coach’s role in these difficult times? “The role in complex moments… is not so complex. You have to judge well, be as objective as possible and make things as simple as possible. The easiest thing in football is to perform well. Defence.”
Vinicius Tobias will be in attendance tomorrow and how do you find Napoli? “Naples can be champions. Vinicius Tobias is part of the call-up. Carvajal and Lucas are out and Odriozola is back from injury. He can bring tomorrow.”
Recipe for getting up: “We’re getting our confidence back. We’ve done very well until November. We have the Club World Cup in 20 days. We have a team of fantastic players.”
