Nothing upsets Carlo Ancelotti. He looks attentively, raises his eyebrow and answers the questions without ever speeding up his pulse. Self-control and tranquility at the service of the group. And this is how he has been in the world of football for countless years. Adding matches and winning titles. This Sunday he will try to lead his team to win the Super Cup on the day he will surpass Zidane in number of games as coach of Real Madrid. “I have never seen a player like him in training and later when he was my assistant he helped me a lot to adapt to the club and to Spanish football,” Ancelotti told him from the Al Awwal stadium in Riyadh.
If Madrid beats Barcelona this Sunday, the Italian will equal Zidane's eleven titles on the Madrid bench. “I will be happy if we win but titles are something to look at from time to time in the showcase. I always think about the day after, that whatever happens we have to continue.”
Ancelotti did not want to assume the role of favorite despite the fact that his team has 20 games without losing. “The classics equalize everything and I expect an even match that is decided by the small details. We have a lot of respect for Barcelona, which is a very strong rival and who beat us last year,” reflected the Italian.
The white coach is never averse to good football but as a man of transalpine football he does not hide that his DNA is to win. “If we play better than Barcelona we will have a better chance of winning, but I will also be happy if we win even if we don't deserve it too much,” he stated bluntly.
Madrid wants to get even for the defeat a year ago but Ancelotti declined to associate himself with the word revenge. “We will go all out not for revenge but because that is what requires us to wear this shirt. “We are always hungry.”
Sporty and elegant, they tried to tickle him in a couple of questions so that he would criticize Xavi, but he did the opposite. “He is doing a very good job at Barcelona. The fact of having been one of the best midfielders in the world is helping him. It's not the same as being a coach but his idea of his game helps him. He doesn't have my experience, it's true, but I didn't have it at his age either,” he analyzed.
Ancelotti did not want to give clues about the lineup but did not rule out a change of goalkeeper. “Right now I don't feel like I have a starter and a substitute. The important thing is that both Kepa and Lunin understand it and they are understanding it.”
The white coach, who confirmed that Carvajal is ready to play even if he stayed in the gym on Friday, congratulated himself on the good disposition of his players. “I think about the game with the starting eleven but I know that all the substitutes are always motivated to go out and this does not always happen in teams.”
