MADRID, 12 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, insisted this Friday that the ‘eleven’ that will face Getafe on matchday 34 of LaLiga Santander will be “very competitive”, although they will not take risks with the ‘touched’ players, so He confessed that he “would not understand” that the other teams were angry about the line-up that he drew up to face the ‘azulón’ team.
“Tomorrow’s team will be very competitive, but I’m not going to risk it, because we have fresh players. It’s a demanding game, Getafe is fighting not to be relegated. We need freshness and energy, that’s why the team will be fresh and energetic” , stated the Italian at the press conference prior to the Madrid derby this Saturday (9:00 p.m.) at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Ancelotti advanced that “the players who are a doubt are not going to play” this Saturday, specifying that Karim Benzema, David Alaba and Rodrygo Goes did not complete the last training session as they had not recovered from a blow received in Tuesday’s match against Manchester City. “I want to reserve the players who are tired and in doubt, but those who are well are available. The team that leaves tomorrow will be very competitive,” he reiterated.
“Those who play will be able to recover, there are four days until Wednesday. The physical issue does not exist,” explained the coach, who revealed that he “would not understand” that other teams would get angry about the ‘eleven’ that he presented against Getafe. “There are many teams that choose the matches, tomorrow we are going to win with the best team,” he assured. “A good game tomorrow keeps you going and a bad game creates concern that we don’t need for Wednesday,” he warned.
In addition, Ancelotti, who stressed that the team is “excited and motivated, like the club” before the “important moment” of the season they face. And he reported the return of the already “fully recovered” Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos. “Courtois is going to play tomorrow and Vinicius too, although I don’t know if he’s starting,” said the Italian coach, who was full of praise for the Brazilian.
“He is happy and excited, at this moment he is spectacular, if he is not the best, we are there. He contributes a lot, he is a very decisive player, with assists, goals”, he praised, after highlighting the “quality” of the Belgian goalkeeper. “He is one of the best in the world. In addition, he has a very good goalkeeping coach, Luis Llopis, who helps us a lot, we train with him to start from behind, with specific work. A goalkeeper has to use his hands better than feet, but he does both very well”, he highlighted.
Asked about the semifinals against Manchester City, who live the return this Wednesday at the Etihad, Ancelotti made it clear that neither he nor Pep Guardiola are the best coaches in the world. “There are many others,” he said, before trying to explain the spirit of the club to complete “impossible” comebacks, also in basketball.
“It’s like the motto of ‘Vamos Real until the end’, like a second last name for us. It’s something special that this club has that is impossible to explain. We are delighted and happy for what the basketball team did,” Ancelotti applauded the team white, who will play the ‘Final Four’ of the Euroleague after coming back from 0-2 in favor of Partizán.
And it seems that Rodrygo will have a place in the second leg of the continental semifinals. “He has played almost all the important games because he has deserved it. He has progressed and the team handles the presence of three real forwards very well. It has gone well and he has contributed a lot to the team”, he expressed about the carioca, after confirming that He “has doubts” about the Manchester line-up, which “means” that the team is doing very well.
“I like José Bordalás’ way of understanding football and life. We are friends and I love him, I wish him the best,” he concluded about the Getafe coach, the team he faces this Saturday in LaLiga Santander.