MADRID, 11 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, warned that they cannot be disconnected until the Champions League final on May 28 because they need to have a “competitive pace” to be able to perform in Paris and therefore, with the league title already in their power, thinks that now they should focus on “getting to the top” for the duel against Liverpool, while he confessed that he does not change anyone in his squad because this has “led him to enjoy another Champions League final”.
“Not in a ‘bubble’ because if you lose competitive rhythm, you’re not going to do well in the Champions League. We have to watch out for fatigue and enjoy this period to put them at one hundred percent, that’s why I changed the team against Atlético and I’m going to do it against Levante. They told me all year that I wasn’t rotating and now that I’m broken, no one is happy. It’s time to give everyone minutes and put them in the condition to reach the top on 28”, Ancelotti assured this Wednesday in Press conference.
The Italian made it clear that he is taking advantage of “the time only and exclusively” to prepare for the duel against Levante and insisted on the “importance of giving minutes to those who have not played against Atlético”. “Then we have other games on Sunday. We are not preparing for the final but trying to recover the players who are not ready, we believe that they will all be there for the 22nd against Betis,” he said.
In addition, he recalled that he knows Liverpool “very well” because “for four years” he has played many times against the English team. “I think they also know me and Real Madrid very well. I don’t think there are any secrets in this final,” said the Italian, who believes that the enormous expectation among the fans with almost 60,000 requests to be in Paris is due to that “nobody thought” that this year they could reach the final. “This creates excitement and happiness in the fan,” he said.
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Ancelotti praised the great work in the physical preparation of Antonio Pintus, “a great professional” and “one of the best” he has had in his sports career. “He has a lot of experience in preparation and I think we have combined physical work well with technical-tactical work. He is a very serious person, he is focused on small details and the players have a lot of confidence in him”, he admitted.
“The League that we have had has been fantastic and deserved in every way. We have been more forceful and effective than the rest, we started well and we have only had two moments of difficulty, the defeats with Espanyol and with Barça, worse from there the team has always competed and fought. Nobody can say that it is not deserved, there are no buts”, he asserted when asked about the conquest of the domestic title.
In this sense, the Madrid coach reiterated that this year back had been “easy” for him “because of the relationship with the players”-. “Other years I have had players who made a bad face at me when I told them they were not going to play and this year there has been no problem. The difficulty for a coach is to have the entire squad motivated,” he said.
“I STAY WITH THE SQUAD THAT HAS TAKEN ME TO ANOTHER CHAMPIONS FINAL”
The one from Reggiolo, who made it clear that against Levante they must “play well” and that they have “the same objective” as against Atlético of “maintaining a good rhythm and winning”, was somewhat annoyed by the questions about the signing of Erling Haaland for Manchester City and for the future of the Madrid team.
“I don’t like to talk about this. Haaland is a great player and City is a great club, but I stay with my squad, which has led me to enjoy another Champions League final”, stressed the Italian, who asked to speak about the signings “after” the final in Paris. “I don’t want to comment on this, I want to end the season well with a very important final. Talking about the future of Real Madrid now I don’t think is the time,” he tried to settle.
However, he raised the tone before a new question about the next season. “Talking about the market of the future doesn’t seem right to me, I want to talk about the match against Levante, for which those who haven’t played against Atlético come back. This is not the day to talk about the alleged new signings,” he stressed.
Regarding Vinicius and a possible change of wing if Kylian Mbappé finally arrived, Ancelotti explained that the Brazilian “feels very good on the left wing”. “What he can improve is the movement without the ball, enjoying his speed more and not only his one-on-one, receiving deep behind the defensive line,” he detailed.
Finally, it is clear to him that Rodrygo’s definitive explosion “is only a matter of time”. “He is going to grow, progress and improve because he is very talented, smart and very humble. I don’t know when, but from the beginning of this season until the end he has improved and made a difference in very important games. I only care that we have lucky to have a player like him,” he said.