“You give me the ball and then run to celebrate” | Relief
It was a gray day in Valdebebas. But it wasn’t just any day. The Real Madrid sports town looked more active than usual. Boys and girls from international schools marched through the fields of La Fábrica, and the presence of media from around the world set the pace before they reached the press room. The Clasico will be played at the Bernabeu this Saturday, and Ancelotti knew it.
Therefore, be doubly calm in your speech. After training with his team, when Jesus Fortea made his debut for the senior team, he began to talk about Barça with his characteristic calm. “Barcelona have a very clear vision of the game. They play very well and are a very brave team. We must be perfectly prepared for the game.”
“In a match like the Clasico or the Derby, it’s very difficult to pick a favorite. I don’t know who the favorite is. At the moment, fortunately, no one keeps me up at night. I have something in mind for strategy. It seems wrong to tell you this today. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see whether I am wrong or not.”– he continued.
And he brought memories to the fore. “You don’t need to talk much in these games. Everyone is motivated and determined. When I played them I was very nervous. And Van Basten, seeing my anxiety, said to me: look, the strategy is very clear. “You give me the ball and then you run to celebrate.”he smiled.
They asked him about Mbappe, how could it be otherwise. “We are happy with Mbappe.. This is very important for the team. He didn’t score against Dortmund, but he played a very important role in the first two goals. “We are not worried and I am sure he will get better because he has all the qualities for this.”
And about Bellingham. “Last year it was extremely important for Bellingham to score because we didn’t have a striker, we lost a striker of Kareem’s caliber. This year we don’t have that problem because we have a player who can score 30-35 goals.” goals. This year we need it more for other things.”he settled.
He also wasn’t bothered by the comments about his team’s poor performance that have dogged him this season. “Criticism doesn’t bother me at all. There is criticism. I don’t think much about these things. I need to quickly clarify my ideas and try to explain them well to the players. I also like to know how my players are playing. opinion on strategy.”
And in the end he started talking about the new Barça. “The philosophy has changed. Barça are playing much more straightforwardly this year. And I don’t want to compare it with the work of Xavi, who I think did a very good job with Barca, but in his own way.”. And pointing to the leaders of his team. “There are a lot of leaders on this team. Vinicius could be one of them, also Valverde, Modric is still there. There is not one leader. And that’s good news.”