"The criticism? I don't see any Real Madrid fans saddened"

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti appeared before the media at the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against FC Barcelona. In response to the criticism of his team's performance in Manchester, the Italian explained: "I'm not surprised. Everyone is free to express their opinion. You have to manage well having the ball and not having the ball. We did very well. I haven't found any sad 'Madridistas".

"Penalties? You ask the players how they are. Everyone helped a lot. There were a lot of reports," he added.

Ancelotti spoke about how his players are coming into 'El Clasico': "We are recovering well. Some of them are missing one more day, like Mendy." The French full-back is a doubt due to a muscle strain.

"Mendy is under contract. He is very important for us. He doesn't care about the window, he cares about the team. In training it's not easy to dribble him either", he continued about the Frenchman.

As for Barca's current form, he stressed that "they are a very competitive opponent". "It will be 'El Clasico' as always," he predicted. He also had praise for his promising youngsters, Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal: "It speaks very well of them what they are doing at this age. It is important, as we have done, to mix youth and experience well".

Regarding reports that Nacho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, he said: "His future is up to him. He played a spectacular game, for the top level defender that he is. We just have to respect his decisions. He knows what we think.

From one first-choice defender at the Etihad to the other: "I've never seen Rudiger take a penalty before. We practised on Monday and he scored the three he took". He also spoke about Militao, who said he "can start" against Barca. "He only needs a few minutes. He's ready," he concluded.

 

April 20, 2024