Ancelotti: “Without Bellingham, we would have won four games out of four”

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelottiappeared, as usual, very calm in the press room of Red Bull Arena Stadium, where this Tuesday his team will play the first leg of the round of 16 of the highest continental club competition against RB Leipzig. The Italian told the media that “I don’t know if we will win in Championsbut we will fight and compete until the end”, while trying to downplay the loss due to the injury of Jude Bellingham, his team’s leading scorer with 20 goals this season. “Without him we would have won four games out of four,” he recalled.

With only two defeats in 34 official matches played this campaign, Carletto commented “I don’t know if this is my best season at Real Madrid, but this is my best streak of results, ” although he gave all the credit to his squad. “I have a solid, serious, motivated team with a great environment. Everyone contributes and no one complains. “We have reached this point in the season very well, despite all the difficulties and problems we have had with injuries.”

“The players are excited and very motivated to return to the Champions League, the most important competition for Real Madrid fans, but this Tuesday A tough match awaits us against a strong and quality opponentwho play intense football,” warned the merengue coach.

When talking about proper names, Ancelotti once again praised Vinicius after his brilliant performance in the last game against Girona. “He is a player who makes the difference. What stands out most about Vini for me is his continuity and consistency when doing things during the 90 minutes.”

A few minutes before, Toni Kroos In a press conference too, he did not reveal his future plans with real Madrid or in the German group. Ancelotti considers that “it will be his decision and it must be respected. I think one has to stop at the peak moment of his career. Maybe this year or the next, but what is clear is that his performance has been at a very high and continuous level since he started playing. His passing percentage is the same as when he played at Bayern. Its quality has not changed. The biggest motivation for these players isn’t titles or money, it’s playing football. Kroos has the right to choose what he wants. It’s good that you play Eurocup with Germany. “We must respect his decision,” he reiterated.

Asked about the plague of injuries that affected the real Madridespecially in defense, Ancelotti confirmed “We never think about those who are not there because I think it is fairer to think about those who are there. Bellingham It was very important, but without it we won four games out of four. When they went out to play, Brahma and Joselu They did it well, despite different characteristics. This is an opportunity to be more motivated. Brahim can play Bellingham’s position, but he’s not a giant. Leipzig are dangerous from set pieces and have very fast forwards. Your transfers need to be carefully monitored. I have to think about other options, like whether to keep or not Carvajal as a center back,” he added.

When implementing his idea of ​​playing on the field, Ancelotti explained that “it is very important to convince the players if they see themselves playing in a different position. In our case, everyone wants to contribute things to the team and not cause of problems. “You don’t have to force things, you have to try to convince,” he emphasized.

The Italian assured that he is “clear” which goalkeeper will play this Tuesday against Leipzig, although he did not want to give anything away. Regarding the generational change in your staff, Carletto commented that “it is a natural transition, there is no need to push it. The lack of ego of the veterans allows the youngsters to adapt well to this team and this club,” he concluded.