Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the microphones of Real Madrid TV in an interview broadcast this Thursday afternoon on the Real Madrid Conecta evening program. The Whites’ coach spoke about how he saw the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona, how he faces the preparation for Sunday’s final and the identity he wants to give his team.
How is the team 24 hours after the match?: “Good. Very happy. A little tired, it’s quite normal. Enjoy the day so that those who played recover and train those who didn’t play. The atmosphere is good. We prepared well for the match. Very happy with the match played, it was a match difficult. We achieved the objective, which was to reach the final”.
After yesterday’s game, what are you most proud of in your squad?: “We had a good commitment, we played with humility, we approached the match well. We got the approach we had done before, which was to defend well, come out with the ball from behind, enjoy the counterattack… We did very well and we totally succeeded” .
How did you set up the game? How did it develop? How did you see it? “I saw it well. We had moments of difficulty, as is normal in all matches and against strong rivals. The important thing is to try to find the opponent’s weakness with the strategy. And the opponent’s weakness was the lack of balance. [El Barcelona] It is a team that has many players forward and lacks a bit of balance. The ability of Vinicius, of Asensio, the ability of the midfielders to get out of the pressure with short passes like we did in the first half gave us the opportunity to score and have chances.”
Sunday is the final. Different party, different approach?: “Different game. Let’s see who reaches the final. Atlético and Athletic are two different teams, so the approach is different. The strength of a team is not having a single identity. In football there are many things: possession, the counterattack, the defense, the pressure, the attack, the pressure behind, the set pieces, which is a very important aspect… Fortunately, I have had the experience of training in many countries.In Italy the defensive organization is very, very important. In Spain possession is very, very important. In England, set pieces, pressure and intensity are very, very important. I have understood that in football there is not only one thing you have to do well. You have to be ready to do a lot of things. Not having one identity is a team skill, not a weakness.”
How does the team recover after such a big effort?: “I think we have the necessary time, four days, to recover well, not to have problems. We have Alaba’s evaluation, which could be an important aspect for Sunday. The others will recover without a problem because we have time. It was wear and tear. very big, but at this point in the season the team can handle it without any problem”.