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Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti’s Post-Match Press Conference After Real Madrid’s Win

Carlo Ancelotti speaks to the media after Real Madrid's win against Celta Vigo.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Pressinphoto

Real Madrid managed a 3-2 La Liga win against Celta Vigo in their latest home clash on Sunday, May 4. Arda Guler (33') opened the scoring while Kylian Mbappe (39', 48') added a brace.

Javi Rodriguez (69') and Williot Swedberg (76') pulled two goals back for Celta but those turned out to be consolation strikes.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after the game. Read on to know what the Italian manager had to say (via Real Madrid).

Q: On the game

Ancelotti: The game seemed to be over. We had the chance to score the fourth with Güler. Then we made the change because Asencio was tired and couldn't go on. We suffered a bit more than necessary. You have to take into account that with Asencio coming off, we were missing six defenders and we’re not always able to fix these things. But we did very well for an hour, we could have managed the lead a little better, but in the end it was a nice win.

Q: Arda Guler's progression

Ancelotti: Güler progression is a natural one for a player who wants to play for Madrid, who has a lot of quality, who has worked hard and has not lost his confidence. It’s clear that the Güler from September is not the Güler of today, he has changed a lot. His physical profile has also changed, he is much stronger and he still has the same quality. It has been a quite normal and natural progression for a young player at Real Madrid.

Q: Whether El Clasico win can seal La Liga title

Ancelotti: I don't know. Also, if we win, we’re a point behind. LaLiga is in Barcelona's hands, but we’ll have more chances if we’re able to win. It's a great opportunity. We're going to prepare well for Sunday's game, which I'm not saying will be decisive, but almost.

Q: On player's and coach's opinions on substitutions

Ancelotti: I have the responsibility to try to manage the squad better, not the individual. It affects one player sometimes more than others. Here we’ve talked about Endrick, about very young players. The history of Real Madrid says that great players...you have to bide your time on the bench to be an undisputed starter at Real Madrid. Arda did very well last year, is doing better this year and will do better next year. He has the profile of a player who can be a starter at Real Madrid. The bench has been good for him, it hasn't bothered him, and he has progressed very well.

Q: On the consensus that it's impossible to beat Barcelona away

Ancelotti: We played the last game a week ago. It was a very competitive game and we came close to winning. We don't have to invent a lot of things. We’re going to play a serious game. It's very important. We're going to play with all the confidence in the world. Despite all the difficulties, we’re there and to be able to fight this match is something nice.

Q: Mbappe's threat against Barcelona

Ancelotti: He's going to be a very important player in this match due to the fact that Barcelona play with a very high line. His runs in behind are going to be very important and decisive.

Q: Whether he has a line-up for Barcelona

Ancelotti: Yes, Rodrygo has a slight fever, but he will recover. We have a week, the time we need to prepare very well for the game.

Q: On Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr's play

Ancelotti: He was tired at the end, it was the last play. It's not that he didn't want to give him the pass, he drove a little bit more and didn't see that the opponent was behind him. It's a play that can happen at the end of the game because of fatigu.

Q: Arda Guler at the El Clasico

Ancelotti: He can always play. He's going to compete to be in the starting eleven. There's no doubt about that.

Q: Whether he has ever had a goalkeeper as decisive as Thibaut Courtois

Ancelotti: Yes, I have a list... It's been a lucky career for me. I've had a very long list of goalkeepers, starting with Buffon. Cech, Neuer, Dida, Van der Sar, Casillas, Pickford. If I have to make the top list, Courtois is very high in the ranking. I have had the best in the world, like Perucci at Juventus, a very good list of goalkeepers and that's one of the reasons for my success, also the list of midfielders and strikers.

Q: On Guler's success

Ancelotti: I see him being much better and with less responsibility than last year. Last year he seemed to have a lot of responsibility for his age. He’s handling it well. He’s calmer and much more confident. If he makes a mistake, it's not the end of the world. A few months ago, I called out those around him and now I have to congratulate them because they’ve done very well.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.

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