Speaking before the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media about what his team needs to do, responding to Kiyan Sobhani of Managing Madrid to say, “I think we have to have a complete game, to attack well and defend well, not to lose the ball when it’s not necessary. I think it has to be a very complete game, not focused on just one aspect of the game, we have to focus on all the aspects of the game.”
Ancelotti on having led more Champions League games than anyone else
“Football is for the players. Despite the very competitive and entertaining game in the first leg, tomorrow I think the players will be the stars with so much quality on the pitch.”
Ancelotti on previous ties with Manchester City
“I think we’ve forgotten what happened. We are focused only on tomorrow, thinking about what happened a week ago. We have to compete and believe, which is what we’re trying to do today. The tie is level and we survived 90 minutes and anything can happen. We have to have the quality to create problems.”
Ancelotti on what stops him sleeping
“Nothing stops me sleeping, unless I eat too much tonight. Nothing will stop me believing about my players, because we are very good and are having a good season.”
Ancelotti on the changes to Bellingham’s role
“What I ask my players to do is to work for the team. That means commitment and attitude. What he did in the first half of the season is a plus because he scored a lot of goals. I only ask the players in attack to keep working and you see that more because they score. We are the team with fewest goals conceded in the league, that shows our commitment.”
Ancelotti on Erling Haaland
“If we talk about individual players, Haaland is still one of the most dangerous players Manchester City have. If he didn’t stand out in the first half, that’s our defensive merit. He’s still a very dangerous player.”
Ancelotti on rivalry with Manchester City
“There are many teams in Europe who are very strong and can fight for this title. In the last three years we’ve faced City and they’ve been spectacular games, tomorrow will be the same.”
Ancelotti on Jude Bellingham
“Bellingham is really good, he will be one of the most important players for the future of Real Madrid, also because he’s 20 years old. He’s really mature and very professional. A fantastic player for us.”
Ancelotti on statistics
“Statistics can be understood in any way. They are there to be proven or broken. I think they exist to be broken.”
Ancelotti on any surprises
“I think Pep can be relaxed, there won’t be magic.”
Ancelotti on what fans should be feeling
“I think Real Madrid fans are calm, they know that they always compete. They shouldn’t be worried, they should be the happiest. Our atmosphere is of confidence.”
Ancelotti on Eduardo Camavinga
“Are you sure he’s going to play? I think so, ah… For young players this is a game where they have to take advantage of the experience you get from these games. On an emotional level, he has a lot of confidence in himself. He has done a good job but he has to improve too, with the quality he has, he will.”
