Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media ahead of the game vs Almeria. Almeria, who currently sit at the bottom of LaLiga, visit the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Asked about playing at home, Ancelotti said: “It is very important to play at home. The fans help and allow us to play our best football. It is an important moment of the season, especially in the League, where we have five games in a row before the Champions League. We want to do well. The team is good. Despite having played an extra time on Thursday night, the players have recovered very well. This morning’s training left me with a good feeling.”
Ancelotti about the goalkeepers
“Immaculate goalkeepers do not exist. Goalkeepers make mistakes, as Kepa and Lunin have done. This doesn’t change the trust I have in both of them. There is no debate here.”
Ancelotti on RMTV’s criticism of the referees
“As I said other times, there is freedom of expression. Everyone can say what they want. I don’t have to add more in this regard.”
Ancelotti on who will play tomorrow
“There are many players who deserve to play. I have to take this into account. If those who played Thursday’s game have recovered well, if there is fatigue… The sensations I have from training are that everyone has recovered well. We are going to bring out the best team because the objective is not to give minutes, but to win the games.”
Ancelotti on his criticism of the team’s performance vs Atletico
“It’s not a stick. The analysis I made of the match is that with a little more control, extra time could also be handled better. We have players with quality, who try. In this sense we have had a lot of success, but there are times in games when there is a little fatigue and losing the ball a little less gives us more security. It’s just this. It is not a stick to the players. I have talked about it with the players. It was something collective, not individual. Managing possession a little when you have total control of the game can avoid counterattacks or unnecessary danger.”
Ancelotti on whether he’s spoken to Vinicius Jr. since the derby
“The last time I spoke with Vinicius was on Tuesday. I thanked him for what he said and also because he scored three goals in the Super Cup final. That’s it. I thank him for what he tries to do, I tell him the things he has to improve and above all thank him for scoring a hat-trick in the Super Cup final.”
Ancelotti on the racist chants before the game vs Atletico
“I trust the arbitration system. What happened is under investigation. We have to wait to see what the decisions will be.”
Ancelotti on what he has learned in games vs Atletico
“We did poorly in the first league game vs Atletico. From there things have improved. The Cup match was a very well played match. There are some situations that have cost us. We weren’t attentive at the back, but the team played very good football. We deserved to win just like Atlético did not deserve to lose the Super Cup match. It came up tails and in the Super Cup it came up heads. They were two games with an extraordinary showing and I am very happy with the team’s performance.”
Ancelotti on the criticism of Tchouameni
“He played the Super Cup final at his best level, perhaps his best game. The Cup match did not play from the beginning. He could do better on Griezmann’s goal, yes, he could do it, in this sense there are no doubts.”
Ancelotti on the team’s overall form
“I listen and try to see what is happening in the locker room environment. We continue in a good dynamic and we are motivated. The team is competing and playing football very well. Apart from the crusaders, all the players are fine, we have the opportunity to work in these two weeks. This is very good for us.”
Ancelotti on the game vs Almeria
“We are focused on tomorrow’s game against a team that the data says only has six points, but that deserved to win against Girona, Atlético called the time, they had the game tied against Barcelona… It is a team that continues I’m alive and he’s going to fight the game tomorrow. We have to be ready.”
