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Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti’s Pre-Match Press Conference Ahead Of Alaves vs Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media ahead of Alaves vs Real Madrid.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Alberto Gardin

Real Madrid are set to play Deportivo Alaves in a La Liga away clash on Sunday, April 13. Los Blancos enter the game on the back of a 3-0 away defeat against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were also beaten 2-1 by Valencia at home in their previous La Liga clash last weekend. They are second in the table with 63 points from 30 matches, four less than league leaders Barcelona.

Ancelotti addressed the media ahead of the Alaves game. Read on to know what he said (via Real Madrid).

Q: Expectations from his team

Ancelotti: Tomorrow I want to see a Madrid that is capable of getting back our good feelings. It’s clear that everyone is thinking about Wednesday's match, but that depends on tomorrow's performance. We’re still in the fight for the league, we have to play well and win. We have talked about giving a good performance tomorrow and trying to win. We have to give everything because it’s fundamental for us to get back to having good feelings when we play.

Q: On back-to-back defeats

Ancelotti: Every defeat brings difficult moments, you have to think how to turn it around and focus on what's coming. Fortunately, in football, you always have the chance to come back and have a good game. The team has trained really well these past two days and is focused on winning the game.

Q: On his future

Ancelotti: This isn’t a question you need to ask me. The contract is quite clear, I have four years. We will talk about the future at the end of the season, as always. I have nothing to add. The club always supports me and helps me, especially in difficult moments.

Q: On the importance of the Alaves game

Ancelotti: We think of it as a great opportunity to win again after a difficult week. We’re playing against an opponent that competes very well and is in the fight to avoid relegation. It will be difficult, but the team is prepared and is aware that tomorrow is very important”.

Q: On UEFA Champions League statistic

Ancelotti: The statistics are quite clear, we have run less than our opponent and that has affected us. We could have done much more, but it wasn’t just this. We look at the statistics, as everyone does.

Q: Comeback against Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabeu

Ancelotti: We will try. Real Madrid is the only team that has done it many times, but we’ll try to do it once again. We’re aware of how much our fans and the stadium can help us. We're going to try until the last minute and until the last ball, starting tomorrow.

Q: Defensive commitment

Ancelotti: It's a question of the players' attributes. The same thing happened in previous years, we were able to win by running less total distance. The statistics talk a lot about total distance but not about sprint distance, which isn't like this. Despite this, we have won two Champions League trophies. Against Arsenal, we did less in every aspect: in sprint distance, in total distance, in acceleration... They worked harder than us.

Q: On Dani Ceballos

Ancelotti: He’s available for tomorrow and for Wednesday.

Q: On why a comeback is possible against Arsenal

Ancelotti: The resources to try to do it.

Q: On goals scored

Ancelotti: There’s been a drop generally, not just our efficiency going forward. We've conceded too many goals in these last few games and that's where we need to tighten up. Defensive solidity is so important, especially when the strikers are not as effective as they have always been.

Q: Only UCL quarter-finalist to play on Sunday

Ancelotti: We don't understand it, but that's the way it is. This season has been like that. We don't understand it, but we have more than 72 hours of rest, so we can't complain.

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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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