MADRID, 3 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, celebrated a “fair” victory against Naples in the Champions League match after a “complete match” where they played “very well in the first half” and where Luka Modric’s entry worked when his rival was pressing the most because the Croatian played “30 minutes at a high level.”
“It was a complete, serious game, in which we played very well in the first half. After the goal conceded, we handled the ball very well, playing well between the lines and we took the lead, but then the dynamic changed after the penalty and “Naples tried to put more pressure on us. We suffered for 10-15 minutes, but we regained control and scored at the end,” Ancelotti explained at a press conference.
The Madrid coach assured that this was the match he was waiting for. “I was expecting this Naples team, which has high-quality players and plays organized. The result for me is fair because the first half was of a very high level,” he indicated.
“What is surprising about Bellingham is that he is 20 years old and he looks like he is 30 because of his character and because he is always well focused and knows what he has to do, that is rare in a player who is 20 years old. And then he has all the quality, physical strength and skill, obviously surprises everyone a little,” he warned about the English midfielder, author of a goal and an assist.
In this sense, the Italian highlighted that the British and Vinícius combined “well” on the left side because “they have a lot of creativity.” “We asked Vinícius to find the position on the field where he is best, sometimes inside, sometimes outside, and Bellingham adapts. Having both of them on the left wing creates a lot of danger,” he stressed.
“The success of the first half in the attacking game was due to the position of Bellingham, Valverde and Rodrygo, which created many doubts for Napoli in the game between the lines, there we took the advantage because their pressure was not always able to cut it off” , pointed out the Real Madrid coach.
The match marked Modric’s return after two games without playing time. “He has done what we expected he could do, put his experience at the service of the team and he has played 30 minutes at a high level, that means that he is motivated and that he can contribute. This is what the coach asks of someone who does not play and is a little angry, let him not lose the hope of contributing. In this sense, he has been fantastic,” he praised.
Regarding Camavinga’s position again as left back, Ancelotti confessed that it was because he did not want to “put too much pressure on a team that had done very well in Girona for a very important match.” “Camavinga is not a full-back, he is an inside player who plays as a full-back and who contributes a lot to us in getting the ball out, in the first half we did well due to his characteristics,” he clarified.
Finally, the Madrid coach took care of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s mistake at 1-0. “Each player has his own characteristics. Kepa is formidable between the sticks and suffers a little in the air because he is not two meters tall, no one is perfect,” he said.