Carlo Ancelotti passed by the Valdebebas press room this Saturday morning with a serene speech, very much in line with how Real Madrid is now. He took the drama out of tomorrow's Sunday classic "it's not life or death," he said. He also relativized that Barcelona's bad moment in the Champions League could influence the game and joked about what happened in the Bernabeu classic last season: "This time I'm not going to invent anything. I tried last year and they gave me a stick ". Back then he didn't have Benzema and he improvised with Modric as a false nine. Barcelona won 0-4 and the Whites suffered the most important setback and practically the only one in a campaign that ended in a double: League and Champions League.
Ancelotti confirmed that Courtois is much improved, but that he is ruled out for the Clásico ("he is quite well but has trained very little") and that Rüdiger has recovered from the 20 stitches he received in Warsaw and is going to play with a protective mask. "He has no discomfort, he is comfortable and he is a warrior. He is very excited to play," he said of the German center-back.
The Bernabeu classic from last season was also brought up at the press conference: "There are no inventors of football. Football has been invented a long time ago and it is clear that this time I am not going to invent it. Last year I wanted to invent something and They gave me a stick. The mentality of the final in Paris is good for me. We have to attack and defend. We have to play a complete game and that's the only way we can win games and titles. The team is very clear about what to do in high-level games like this," he said.
Madrid's strength in the second half is something that Ancelotti appreciates: "They start the first half very strongly and we start the second half. It could be an aspect of the game. It can have an impact and we take it into account".
Ancelotti played down the drama of the match's importance: "It's not a do-or-die match: it's a special match, like all classics or derbies, but the season is very long and this one is coming soon. We'd like to win it. I think we're going to enjoy this more."
Ancelotti doesn't see Barcelona badly: "I have to look at a team that has won everything except one in the league. It has very good dynamics. That's what we're looking at. From the beginning it has done very well. It is a team that has the resources to do a great season," he said.
Asked what he thought of Barcelona's style, Anceoltti was courteous: "Barça's history speaks clearly. They follow a style that the fans and the club like. I'm not saying it's not correct. It's an idea of football they have, they It has been successful and they continue to be. Other teams think differently. What I think, for me, is that having only one style is not the right thing to do. Players change. The main thing is to have players comfortable with the style they play." .
Ancelotti also commented on Barcelona's game against Inter last Wednesday and whether it could be of any use to his team": "We play differently from Inter. What Inter has shown is courage. They have not lowered their arms. I don't think this will influence tomorrow's game."
