Ancelotti: ‘It’s difficult to leave Modric on the bench’

In a ‘quick interview’ and press conference, Carlo Ancelotti credited Luka Modric’s superb goal for Real Madrid’s victory over Sevilla at the Bernabeu.

How would you sum up the match? “I fought, I fought until the end. We played with high intensity until the end, never lost control and achieved this. We created many opportunities and the goal was eventually achieved. It was deserved.”

Pride, character, individuality… “Of everything. The sacrifice was visible when he came up against a very strong opponent. We took very few risks, prioritizing balance, and it shows we were there for the entire 90 minutes.”

Target: “Great goal and great control. Great goal. Luka came in fresh and helped us a lot in this game. It’s worth three points.”

Sergio Ramos: “He remains in our hearts for everything he did and contributed to this club. Forever grateful. We have a lot of affection for him, and rightfully so.”

press conference

Later at the press conference he expanded his explanation:

– What a goal from Modric. How did you celebrate in the locker room?

-We celebrated with Luka because he deserved it, he scored a great goal. When he came in, he was fresh. It is difficult to leave him on the bench, but he is an example for the whole team.

-Goodbye, Modric.

-I think what he wants to do is up to Luke and we just have to wait for his decision.

-His protests to the referee

– I think it’s hard for us football people. new football rules. VAR was designed to correct mistakes, but Nacho touched both his foot and the ball. This is not a problem today, it is a common problem since VAR exists. In my opinion, this should not have entered because it was not an error.

– Modric and his succession…

– Modric, Kroos or Nacho are in the same situation. The club will have time to rectify this in the coming months.

-Seville, closed behind.

-For me it was a great game, played with great intensity, great balance and predictable challenges. If you don’t have Bellingham or Joselu, you’ll have to play short combinations because we lacked a reference. Considering all this, I am very pleased because the team played a good game.

– How is the Modric case being handled?

– They are very difficult to manage. I understand what Modric can think about when he plays, when he’s a little sad. Everyone thinks that at the end of their career, but he doesn’t think about it. He doesn’t look like a 39-year-old player, and that’s an objective fact.

-Arda Guler and her immutability…

-Before Modric’s goal I had a thought, and after the goal I changed it. It’s not that complicated and I don’t need to explain it. And if you don’t understand this, nothing happens.

– Would you advise Modric?

-I can’t give him advice because he is very smart and very professional.

– Do you think that Modric, being destructive, will be able to continue?

-I can’t get into Luka’s head, what I can appreciate is his behavior, it’s at its best, I’m very attached to him. It’s hard to understand the quality of minutes more than the quantity.

– Were you distracted by the players’ anger towards the referee?

-The truth is that in the first half we protested a little about the disallowed goal and lost control of the match.