Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti addressed the media this evening and talked about the difficulties Manchester City will provide, the plan, Éder Militão and much more. The most successful manager in the European competition, the Italian will mange his ninth semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.
After winning the Copa Del Rey final against Osasuna by a score of 2-1 and adding the 20th Copa Del Rey trophy to the club’s trophy case last week, Real Madrid comes into this game with a lot of confidence. They also played well against the Manchester club. Last year at the Etihad, Real Madrid lost 3-4 in what was one of the best matches played in the UEFA Champions League history.
Press Conference.
On tomorrow plan:
“The same as always, to try to get the best out of the team individually and collectively. I think we can do better than we did in the first leg. By reviewing the game we can improve and we’re going to try.”
On Ancelotti’s legacy:
“This is my fourth year at this club. I enjoy it every day. My legacy is to enjoy every day. This year we are very close to achieving something important. We are very excited and very motivated, bearing in mind that it is very difficult. But the difficulties help us to be better.”
On Antonio Rüdiger’s start:
“I apologise, because it was a mistake. I thought you were asking me about Rodrygo, who was not on the bench. I have a very clear idea. If we win, I get the line-up right and if we lose, I fail with the line-up.”
On the system:
“Last year, Valverde as a winger allowed us to win the Champions League. And this year, Rodrygo has allowed us to get here without losing. I’ve already made my decision.”
On penalties:
“I don’t think about it. If we get there, the reality is that you can’t train much. Because the atmosphere in the stadium is not going to be the same as a training session. We are thinking about winning the match.”
On Éder Militão:
“He is very motivated and very excited. I’m not going to talk about motivation or concentration, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to play football. The squad is very good and we are at our best. It’s a game we’ve had in our minds for a long time.”
On what causes more pressure: having spent more money or retaining the title?
“The player doesn’t think about any of this, politics is out of a player’s head.”
On what match do Ancelotti foresee?
“I’m very calm, excited and with faith. Tomorrow I know the feeling and I will have bad feelings: that Haaland will score, that De Bruyne will score from outside the box…. I’ll have to think about Vini’s dribbles, that Karim will score… It’s not easy to get this far and we’re going to enjoy it.”
On what he will say to his players:
“I don’t know what I’m going to talk to them about. I say what comes out of me. Courage and personality are a very important component and not all players are able to show their quality because of this. I want a team that is able to read the situations of the match well. We’re going to have moments when we’re going to suffer.”
On how to stop Haaland:
“City struggled to win the ball back when we played from the back and we will try to keep the ball and take less risk.”
On what is the key:
“To play these matches, quality is not enough, you have to show other things.”
On an open or closed match:
“We are dangerous in transitions, it’s true, but in the first leg we didn’t have many options to run. I don’t think it will be a game of transitions.”
Featured image: (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)