Tomorrow against Atalanta, Madrid pushes its chances of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League group stage, and Carlo Ancelotti looked especially calm at the preview press conference at the Gewiss stadium in Bergamo. The Italian’s appearance was much more boring than normal and without the touch of irony that characterizes him. Asked if he saw his team in the top eight to avoid another round, he saw it as complicated: “It will be difficult to finish in the top eight, so we will have to play in the round of 32, unfortunately. But tomorrow is only three points. We don’t have to think about anything other than that,” he said.
The Italian, as before the Girona match on Saturday, said “he is worried at a medium level. It has not gone down or up compared to Girona. We are worried about finding a good strategy to beat a rival like Atalanta, which is very tough. “No more.”
Arda Güler and Endrick
They are not going to go on loan
The lack of presence of young players in their lineups and whether Endrick or Güler can go out on loan in the winter market also came up: “They are both going to stay here, for sure. They may need more minutes, but I have no prejudices towards young people or anyone. I only try to put the best in each game, whether they are 18 or 40 years old. You have to be patient with young people because they bring enthusiasm but because they are young they also have to learn certain things,” Ancelotti commented.
The coach did not guarantee the presence of Vinícius and Rodrygo in the match. “Let’s look at today’s training and then evaluate.” He did take for granted the presence of Bellingham, who did not finish the Girona match due to discomfort. “Bellingham is fine, 100%. The only doubts are Vinícius and Rodrygo. Bellingham has changed little in the last month. What has changed is the team dynamic: now we have more mobility up front and he takes advantage of this. He scored, of course, and that is important, but his attitude is the same,” Ancelotti said.
Tranquillity
Confidence in the team
The coach said he was very calm: “I completely trust my team, my players. We have improved and now we are in good momentum, but tomorrow could be the most complicated game between now and the end of the year.”
Ancelotti’s only trace of humor was seen in the last question, when he was asked about Mbappé: “Tonight was going to be the first press conference without talking about Mbappé… Until you arrived!” he said, looking at the interlocutor. “Okay, getting better. I have only given him the confidence that a player who arrives at a new club needs. Tomorrow could be very important and be their match,” he stated.
Fede Valverde
“It’s fucked to see each other on the 24th.”
Before Ancelotti spoke Fede Valverde, who showed his discomfort at seeing Madrid in 24th place in the Champions League standings: “It’s screwed to see yourself there. We are not used to going through these moments because we are always on top. But we have to be calm and assume that this is part of football, the process and trust in the work.”
Valverde was reminded of his mistake in San Mamés that led to Athletic’s second goal that led to defeat: “There are times when games don’t go the way I would like… and in San Mamés I made a mistake that cost me the game, something that It had never happened to me in my entire career. I had a hard time sleeping that night, but those are football things. “The important thing is to move forward and show that, as one of the captains, I can be an example.”
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