An angry Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media before Real Madrid’s away match at Villarreal on Saturday. Ancelotti rightfully complained about the schedule and how they are forced to play just two days after a Champions League match. He said: ““I don’t understand it, but we can’t do anything. I don’t understand it. The minimum is 72 hours. I don’t understand it... but that’s the way it is. The recovery of the players is not prioritised, they care about money and TV rights. That’s what I think.”
Ancelotti on how the team is doing
“Recovering, because it’s been a short time. That’ll obviously be an aspect to consider for tomorrow. We have to play a smart game.
“Tomorrow we’ll have to make an extraordinary effort. We can’t have the necessary energy and freshness because we don’t have enough time for it. But we have to have a good attitude, play an intelligent game... without falling into back-and-forth situations. There are many ways to win, by defending well, for example. What I’m thinking about beforehand is playing an intelligent game.”
Ancelotti on Vinicius Jr
“We’ve given him an extra day of rest because he’s still very tired. He’ll be fully trained tomorrow, available. He has no problems at all, just a little tired.”
Ancelotti on the fuss around Julian Alvarez’s penalty
“I didn’t realize this. For us, the game is over. We’re focused on the next one, which is tomorrow. We’re coming up on a very long period with a lot of games, and we want to do well tomorrow.”
Ancelotti on how he is doing
“It’s been a stressful season, but because of the schedule. We haven’t stopped for a single moment since January, playing every three days... tomorrow’s could be the 21st-22nd game. It’s too much. Even for me, who doesn’t play. Because preparing for a game every three days... the players don’t have time to recover. But what can you do? The only thing possible is to stop. But you can’t do that.”
Ancelotti on Raul Asencio’s Spain call-up
“We celebrated. It’s very good news. He deserved it for his work and seriousness. He deserves everything.”
Ancelotti on Vinicius Jr’s form
“Vinicius is undisputed. He may have better or worse performances, but he’s undisputed. If he doesn’t play well sometimes, or makes mistakes... I don’t dispute it. He’s been so important to this club that I can’t dispute it.”
Ancelotti’s analysis of the season
“Despite the difficulties, we’ve made it to March in the lead in every competition. And that hasn’t happened in the last three years. The first year we were knocked out by Athletic in January, the second year we were far behind in the league... now, for the first time, we’re still in the lead in every competition in March. We’re doing well. And we can do better, but we’re doing well.”
Ancelotti on whether the team is tired emotionally
“Obviously, we have to motivate the team more for tomorrow than in a Champions League knockout. Because in a knockout, it comes naturally.”