MADRID, 19 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied with the match signed by his team this Tuesday against Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in the Champions League, which gives them “confidence” in the face of a Classic that will be “another story”. and although he praised Vinicius Jr, he made it clear that it was “difficult” for him to highlight any player for the good collective performance.
“I liked the game. We defended well and we were focused from the first moment, applying well the strategy of not pressing too high and waiting a bit because they were dangerous against us. It is a game that gives us confidence, but against FC Barcelona is another story, “Ancelotti underlined at a press conference after the match.
The Italian praised the defensive work of his team. “When the goal is zero, Real Madrid has a better chance of winning the games,” he recalled. “The problem is to defend well and you do it if there is a collective commitment like that of tonight, and that is not only a merit of the defense but because the media and the extremes have worked well,” he added.
“Vinicius has done very well, but it is difficult to choose a player who has stood out because everyone has done very well,” he said about the Brazilian, who scored two goals and one assist. “He has improved a lot (in the definition) and is doing well in this first part of the season. He has scored many goals, is enjoying the work to get there and is with more quality in front of the goal,” he said.
He was also satisfied with Rodrygo Goes. “I really liked the defensive work he has done, on the cons, I really liked the game he played,” he said. In this sense, he did not hide that the Brazilian “can be a starter” in the Classic on Sunday. “I do not know, but a player who plays this type of game is difficult to change,” he confessed.
Regarding Karim Benzema, the Reggiolo man believes that “he has more leadership at the moment” at Real Madrid than when he coincided with him in his first stage. “He has raised his personality, then he was six years younger. As a player he is still the same and I liked him before, and now I like him a little more,” he said.
“Mendy’s is a very important comeback for us. He has a lot of quality, he defends very well and has not had problems, which is the most important thing,” he said about the Frenchman, who returned to play more than five months later, while Toni Kroos remarked that “he is not afraid with pressure” and that both he and Modric and Casemiro “continue to have ambition and commitment.”