Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media before the team take on Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, addressing a crucial week in the team’s campaign. He also spoke about the challenges of this season, saying, “the problems this season are obvious: we lost two fundamental players at the back that were difficult to replace. We changed the game for players with different characteristics and it was difficult to find balance. Let’s hope we find it now. If we don’t find it, it will be difficult for us to win”.
Ancelotti on Getafe
“We all know how Getafe plays, an intense style, very well organized. A strong team with very clear ideas. We are ready, because the closer the end of the season approaches, the more important the matches are for all teams.”
Ancelotti on Kylian Mbappé and Ferland Mendy’s fitness
“They’re not ready for tomorrow, but they’ll train these days and I think they’ll both be available for Saturday’s game.”
Ancelotti on whether he’ll rotate against Getafe
“Tomorrow’s line-up will take into account the wear and tear of Sunday night and only this. Some are still a little tired, but it’s quite normal. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Ancelotti on whether he would leave even if Real Madrid win the double
“In football anything is possible. Anything can happen.”
Ancelotti on whether he’d like to get revenge next year
“Really, I don’t have any revenge against anyone and against anything. I love this bench. That this can continue as long as possible and if one day it ends, thank you, take my hat off to this club. That’s all.”
Ancelotti on Mbappé’s reaction to being whistled
“He’s hurting because of the injury, because he can’t help the team. He is doing everything to be available on Saturday.”
Ancelotti on what has changed with Endrick
“Nothing. He is progressing very well and he has more prominence now because there are also games where we need his strength and quality.”
Ancelotti on whether winning the Copa would make winning the league more likely
“The two titles that we have at stake, not taking into account the World Cup, depend on beating Barcelona. That’s the only doubt we don’t have at the moment. We will have to get past the next game well and focus on the cup final. We are confident that we can do it and we can achieve it. We have to change something in this sense and we are going to change it.”
Ancelotti on whether he is calmer in the aftermath of Arsenal defeat
“The club is aware that it has been a more complicated year than last year. And together we manage the difficulties. The honeymoon continues. I am very happy, very happy, with a lot of pressure, but this is always like that. You see success very close and it is normal that stress increases, but stress is fuel for me, it doesn’t bother me, it gives me more energy to think about more things. Until I get up in the morning, everything goes well.”
Ancelotti on whether he could’ve been harder on the players
“In Italy when you have problems, they say that you are left-handed. It happened also in the first time I was here. I try to manage the relationship with people for who I am, in a relationship you have to show what you are. This season I got angry many times. My relationship is to have a relationship with people at the same level and for that you have to have respect and be respected and that has happened. I am left-handed in life because nobody has had a right-handed relationship with me: my father, coaches, teacher…. I’m not capable of using the whip, sign another coach. For me it’s not the right way.”
Ancelotti on planning for next season
“Here we have never thought about signings during the season. The club always thinks about signings at the end of the season.”
Ancelotti on what he would have thought about this outcome at the start of the season
“That it could be done better, it could be done better. Some mistakes I have to take my responsibility. But this is an evaluation that we can make at the end of the season and hopefully this consideration will be put on the back burner.”
Ancelotti on 24 hours less rest than Barcelona
“I’m not complaining about this. It’s something that can happen, we couldn’t play Athletic on Saturday to play on Tuesday. It’s good because we have enough time to recover and we don’t have to travel. It could also be done at a better time than 21:30 because a lot of people are sleeping at that time. I hope my players don’t fall asleep tomorrow.”
Ancelotti on Fran García
“He has improved. He has played more and has almost always performed well. In some games I played Camavinga because of the different characteristics they both have. Camavigna is more used to playing inside and sometimes when you play with Vinicius on the outside Fran has more problems to show his quality.”
Ancelotti on whether he likes being the underdog against Barcelona
“Not so much, but that’s the way it is. They seem to be better than us, but a final is something unpredictable. To cast Real Madrid as underdogs in a final seems to me to be a bit exaggerated.”
