MADRID, 20 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has highlighted the importance of the victory in Elche, given the possibility of “lowering the level a bit” after the victory in El Clásico against Barcelona, for which he did not want to give “excuses” to the players with rotations.
“The concern for this match was evident. It was very important because after the Clásico they could think of lowering the level a bit and I didn’t want to give them excuses with the rotations. We have been focused and the match has been very good. Until the 70th minute the match was open”, indicated the coach at a press conference after the match.
Ancelotti, aware of the good moment his team is going through, made it clear that the objective is to distance himself from the rest of the competitors before the World Cup in Qatar. “This is an important moment of the season. The team is doing well. We show no uncertainty and we are quite solid on the pitch. The team is physically starting and we have to face this moment like this. I don’t have a fixed idea of the eleven because we have many resources on the bench”, he sentenced.
“We had several important players on the bench. There are more than eleven players and in each game we have to think that in the 60th minute we have to put more energy, as we have done with Tchouameni, Camavinga, Asensio… We have to evaluate that too to manage the game,” he added.
In the same way, the Italian coach sent a message about Valverde’s great moment of form. “I risked asking him for ten goals. If he scores four more, my card will not be torn and it remains intact. He is a player who surprises me because he is doing everything well both in defense and attack. If you think of a modern interior, you only think of Valverde,” he said. .
In his most flattering facet, the Italian also had a few words of thanks for Lunin who will have to return to the bench after “having fulfilled his role.” “He has shown that he is ready, that he is prepared and that he is a great goalkeeper. When Courtois arrives, Lunin will sit on the bench. Game by game he is better because he accumulates more experience, which is what is lacking at the moment. He has quality and what he lacks is more experience in the field,” he added.
Regarding Marco Asensio’s contractual situation, the coach made his position clear. “We haven’t talked about the subject of the contract because Marco is a player in the squad in whom I have confidence. He has played very few games but every time he shows me that he can play. Also in the few minutes I have given him he has been decisive. He will have more minutes in the future. After the World Cup we will talk about his contract,” he said.