MADRID, 4 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was “hurt” after being eliminated in the Copa del Rey at the hands of Athletic Club (1-0) and thinks that this defeat “does not” believe that “it will have consequences” for the rest of the season because they have already won the Super Cup and are “in a good position” in the League and the Champions League.
“We are hurt because we always want to win all the competitions. We have won the Super Cup and we have two other competitions in which we are in a good position. I don’t think this defeat will have consequences. This defeat makes us stronger. We already knew that it was a very complicated because playing in San Mamés and because we had casualties”, recalled the Italian at a press conference.
Asked about the changes -he only made two- Ancelotti assured that both Camavinga and Isco, replacing Kroos and Vinicius, entered “due to fatigue” of their teammates. “And then I was thinking about making more changes in extra time and unfortunately they put in at the last minute and I didn’t have time to put in new players,” he admitted.
“Bale, Hazard and Jovic? I have nothing to say. Why don’t you ask me about Ceballos, Carvajal, Vallejo… all those who haven’t played? There is no punishment, I have made decisions and I have not involved these players, but to be honest you have to talk about everyone. They are all at the same level”, he said firmly.
In relation to the keys to the match, the Reggiolo player confirmed that they played “without a centre-forward” due to the absence of Benzema and with the idea that Asensio and Isco “help in the position”. “We have tried to start from behind but they have put a lot of pressure on us, we were not clean like in previous games and they have made it more difficult for us to generate chances”, he added.
“He didn’t come out because his pressure from behind was very great. The key to the match was there. From the 70th minute we had more control, a clear chance and everything was under control. If we had played extra time I think we could have had more of an advantage due to their physical wear and tear but they scored and we’re out,” he said.
“It’s not the worst game of the season, not at all, it was complicated and we knew it was difficult. The game was even until the last minute. I think that for the effort that Athletic has made, they deserved it but we haven’t played the worst game of the season. It hasn’t surprised me how the game has evolved, it’s true that they have attacked more but haven’t created many chances”, he added.
Finally, in relation to Vinicius’s hookups with several rivals, Ancelotti said that “this is nothing new” in the attempt to “squeeze” the Brazilian so that he loses concentration. “Today he has given what he could,” he concluded.