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Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti’s Press Conference After Real Madrid’s Win Against Rayo Vallecano

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Pressinphoto

Real Madrid managed a 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano in their latest La Liga clash on March 9. Kylian Mbappe (30') and Vinicius Jr (34') were on the scoresheet for Los Blancos. Pedro Diaz (45+2') pulled one back for Vallecano.

Real Madrid are now second with 57 points from 27 matches, level with league leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after the result. Read on to know what he had to say (via Real Madrid).

Q: On the passing of Carles Minarro and David Garcia

Ancelotti: I want to send a hug to the families of the Barcelona doctor, Carles, and the referee David. We're truly sorry.

Q: On the performance

Ancelotti: We’re feeling good because the objective was to get points. Our first half performance could have finished 3-0, but we finished 2-1. It got a bit complicated in the second half. In the second half we had two or three chances. The pass by Mbappé for 3-1 and the ball from Vini. It was 2-1 in the 75th minute and we had to do one thing: defend well and avoid problems. We defended well and avoided problems, but I understand that the fans didn't enjoy the last part.

Q: On playing after the Champions League

Ancelotti: We must bear in mind that there are also many teams that have played in the Champions League and that yesterday and today they didn't win. Inter suffered against Monza, Liverpool against Southampton, Leverkusen lost, Bayern lost.... it's very difficult to prepare for this kind of game, especially against a team like Rayo that fight and play with intensity. I repeat, the first half was very good.

Q: Whether Luka Modric will play against Atletico Madrid

Ancelotti: Modrić will recover, he finished the game well. He was a bit tired, like everyone else because it was a demanding game. I think everyone will recover well. Hopefully Rüdiger can recover from the flu and also Courtois.

Q: On Kylian Mbappe

Ancelotti: The goal seems important to me. Vini Jr. and Mbappé scored two spectacular goals. Until the 70th minute, they did very well and they had chances to make it 3-1. When I think I have to defend, I take the strikers off, for me it's not a problem to take them off. I've taken them off, Rodrygo too, which will come in handy for Wednesday's game. Mbappé played really well, he scored a spectacular goal. He battled, he dropped in to get on the ball. The goal came because he went to receive the ball in midfield and then eludes the defense with his movement. It's a fantastic goal, he did very well.

Q: On Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois

Ancelotti: Bellingham has come back in good shape. Courtois has a little problem, but I think he will recover quickly for Wednesday. Bellingham's performance was good. As I said, I really liked the first half because we pressed high. We could have made it 3-0 after stealing possession, we played with intensity and quality. In the second half we dropped our level.

Q: On Vinicius Jr

Ancelotti: He has a great future ahead of him because he has reached these numbers very early, fighting and improving every season. He deserves it because, on top of all this, he's a good kid.

Q: On his conversation with Davide Ancelotti

Ancelotti: We were talking about which changes to make. Whether to bring on Brahim or Camavinga, who to take off. For me it's not so simple because I'm focused on the game and it's a bit harder for me to listen to the coaching staff. That's why I was talking about which changes to make.

Q: On Jude Bellingham's knock

Ancelotti: He got a knock, but nothing serious.

Q: Whether the strikers are playing with individualism

Ancelotti: I haven't seen this individualism. The first goal came from a pass from Vini Jr. to Mbappé. The second was a spectacular solo play from Vinicius. I think they tried to link up as usual. On Wednesday they'll be at their best because the motivation for this game is very high for everyone.

Q: On Aurelien Tchouameni

Ancelotti: I haven't spoken to him. Tchouameni has a very strong character and personality. He’s hard-working, serious and professional. He’s handled criticism very well. He’s playing very well with the ball now. We had to discover him without the ball and he is spectacular. The pairing of Modrić and Tchouameni has done very well.

Q: Whether this was a good enough performance to beat Atletico Madrid

Ancelotti: If we play like we did in the first half, we have a good chance of getting through:

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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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