“The relationship with Gattuso has not always been good, we have had personal problems”
MADRID, 10 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has acknowledged that he was “surprised” by the result of the match against Villarreal, assuring that the team can “defend better” than they did at the Estadio de la Cerámica, and hopes that they can begin to prove it this Wednesday in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup against Valencia, where he will meet again with a Gennaro Gattuso with whom he has had “personal problems”.
“It was foreseeable that we would not be at the top at this moment. It is true that the training signs were good, the game against Villarreal surprised me a bit, the sensations were much better. The game has shown another face. We have to do it again “Things are good; the defensive aspect has not been good and we have to work. This team knows how to defend very well, better than they did against Villarreal”, he declared at a press conference.
In this sense, he believes that it is possible that “some are affected by what happened in the World Cup.” “We are hurt by the game against Villarreal but we have to look at the next games to see how the team reacts. The Super Cup is a very important test; when I was little and went to school, I had a secret; my grandmother told me ‘ put the book under the pillow’, I put it and it always came out well”, he confessed.
“What worries me is not a new thing. I am convinced that we are going to do it, it is a mental click. The defensive aspect is not a problem of quality, it is a problem of concentration and sacrifice,” warned the Italian coach. “If we talk about the physical aspect, years ago we stopped doing a long schedule. This downturn is not scheduled because of the World Cup break, it has come because we haven’t played well,” he added.
In another order of things, the Madrid coach surprised by revealing that he does not have a good relationship with the current Valencia coach, Gennaro Gattuso, with whom he met at AC Milan. “We have had very beautiful moments, we have won two ‘Champions’, we have spent years that I will remember forever. Afterwards, the relationship has not always been good; we have had personal problems and I don’t want to talk about this,” he explained.
“Many coaches have come out of that team: Seedorf, Pirlo, Gattuso, Nesta… I don’t know if they have learned from me, but each one brings their experience and knowledge to their team. They are different from each other. The teams of Gattuso play very intensely and have a very clear identity on the pitch”, he continued.
Regarding the title at stake in Saudi Arabia, he assured that “titles are always important.” “Last year’s title gave us confidence for the season, and hopefully this Super Cup will be the same. We are very close, because there are only two games, and we have to prepare very well to be able to take it home,” he said.
He also pointed out that they are not overly concerned about preparing the penalty shootouts. “We don’t train a lot on penalties, the players take penalties at the end. I choose the five that take taking into account those who want to shoot and those who don’t; sometimes it’s difficult to find five. Mentally it’s difficult to enter, because it’s impossible reproduce the atmosphere of a penalty shoot-out in a training session”, he explained.
On the other hand, he downplayed the fact that there was no Spaniard in the starting line-up for the duel against Villarreal. “It was coincidental. The parent company of this club is Spanish, but Real Madrid is a universal club, loved all over the world. Real Madrid is the club that has produced the most players in its academy,” he stressed.
Lastly, Ancelotti had a memory for two ex-Madridistas such as Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Saudi Al-Nassr, and Gareth Bale, who announced his retirement on Monday. “Cristiano’s has been a fantastic signing for this club, we wish him all the best because he is a legend of our club, as Gareth Bale has been. He retired yesterday and we wish him the best for his future, he continues to be in our hearts of all madridistas”, he concluded.