Group F | Matchday 6
The Real Madrid coach comes out of the possible sanction that may fall on him for his criticism after the match against Girona: «Penalty invented in Italy means that they have awarded a penalty that was not a penalty. Bad faith does not enter here»
Much of the press conference offered by Carlo Ancelotti in the run-up to the match between Real Madrid and Celtic, corresponding to the last day of the Champions League, revolved around the criticism that the coach made about Melero’s refereeing López in the duel that the whites faced Girona last Sunday, marked by the penalty awarded against the local team for an alleged hand by Asensio, and the possible sanction that could lead to the transalpine. “I have to clarify this issue. I have been sued for what I have said. Penalty invented in Italy means that they have awarded a penalty that was not a penalty. Here neither bad faith nor the accusation of an arbitrator enters. I have never disrespected a referee and I never will, “said the Reggiolo coach.
Ancelotti, who can be exposed to a punishment of between four and twelve days, returned to give his opinion on this controversial set. «For me it was not a penalty because of what they explained to us at the beginning of the season, that when the penalty is not so clear it is not a penalty. If the rule has not changed, it is enough to say that it was a mistake. No one is infallible, “said the Real Madrid coach, who demanded that there be more light on the regulations and decisions of the braids. “The important thing is clarity. For us it was not a penalty. It is a football issue, which is still not clear. They have to explain the rule well, because in the rule that they explained to us they said that this was not a penalty. I understand it very well, I’m not stupid », he affected.
The Real Madrid coach is not against VAR, but he is against what he considers technological excesses. “VAR has been a good invention. But sometimes the VAR has more prominence than the referee and I think that the referee has to continue being the protagonist. The VAR has to enter into clear and obvious errors, and it doesn’t seem to me that not calling the penalty was a clear and obvious error », clarified Ancelotti, who timed his reflection on a possible punishment for his words on Sunday. “I don’t know if they’re going to punish me. I still sleep at night. I want to clarify that I have not disrespected anyone », he insisted.
a matter of prestige
Beyond the controversy, the coach stressed the value that it would have for Real Madrid to close the first phase as first in the group. “It is important, not too much because there are teams that will come second that are good, but it is important for the prestige. For Madrid, this is a special competition and in every game we have to give it the respect it deserves,” Ancelotti explained.
To face this challenge that involves the victory against Celtic, Real Madrid will not be able to count on Tchouaméni and Benzema, in the best of cases, will arrive between cottons. «Tchouaméni will not be available. Benzema will train and if he has good feelings he will be in the squad », indicated Ancelotti, who rejected that the striker is raising his foot due to the proximity of the World Cup in Qatar. “This is bad faith. Benzema has not played because he was not feeling well, he has had a couple of injuries and we must not forget that he is not a child. He is 34 years old, although he takes good care of himself », he cut short.
Ancelotti predicted that Celtic will go to the Santiago Bernabéu without any complexes. “They are not going to change their identity. They are going to play with intensity, with passion, with quality. I think it will be an open game and we want to return to our best version. I respect this team a lot because with the quality they have, they could do better in this group. They have played good games », he said about the Scottish team.
He broke down the failures of Real Madrid against Girona. “It was difficult for us to recover the ball, the vigilance to avoid cons… Hopefully we can fix it in the following games”, he pointed out. And he finally fled from catastrophic analyzes of the level of Spanish teams this year in Europe, despite the fact that his will be the only representative of national football in the round of 16 of the Champions League. “It cannot be said that Spanish football has lost credit in Europe because it may happen that at the end of the season there is a Spanish team that has won the Europa League and that a Spanish team has won the Champions League,” he added.
Kroos, about his future: “I don’t even know what’s going to happen”
Toni Kroos still hasn’t cleared up the mystery about his future. “I don’t even know what’s going to happen. I have already said that next year or now during the break for the World Cup I will think about this and little by little I will decide what I want to do. What I have always said, and it has not changed, is that I am not going anywhere, I am going to retire here. I and the club are very calm, there is nothing new, ”explained the German metronome at the press conference prior to the clash between Real Madrid and Celtic.
The Teuton ends his contract on June 30, 2023 and keeps the matter of his renewal parked, despite the fact that the club has already offered it to him. He wants to see his feelings and his role within the team, although for the moment he proclaims his joy in a course in which he is once again a fundamental piece for Ancelotti. «I feel very good physically and things are going well on the pitch. I am very happy and calm », he insisted. «I have always said that it is a very special relationship in these eight and a half years and that will never change. In January, February or March we will talk », he added.
The midfielder also gave his version of the controversial Real Madrid-Girona match last Sunday. «I am clear that it is not a penalty, but I do not like to talk about the referees. The only thing is that I was surprised. He made a good decision during the game, but then the VAR starts talking to him. For me it is not an action to review. I’ve seen it later on television and for me it’s not a penalty, but I don’t like to say that’s why we drew. We tied because we did not play the first 70 minutes like the last 20 », he indicated.
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