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Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti addressed the press ahead of the Champions League group stage matchday two fixture against Lille, scheduled for Wednesday. He discussed the team's preparation, the challenges posed by their opponents, and various issues concerning recent matches and player conditions.
"In this new format, we have to score points, and we're here to do that, considering the quality of our opponents, who play very well and have quality young players. As always, in every game now we have to fight, battle, and compete," Ancelotti said at a pre-match press conference. "We're feeling good, we're confident that we can improve, and we're ready for it. We want to be at our best at a time of the season with a lot of games, but I think the team looks pretty good. We'll be back to our best very soon," the Real Madrid manager said. Ancelotti expressed his respect for Lille, acknowledging their recent success and the high calibre of players they produce. "Lille are a great club, they've done very well in recent years. They've produced players of the highest level. They compete very well in France and in Europe. Their director, Olivier Letang, worked with me in Paris, and it's a club I'm very fond of," he remarked, as per quoted by Real Madrid's official website. The incidents during the Madrid Derby were a significant topic of discussion. Ancelotti was clear in his condemnation of violence in football. "I respect everyone's opinion. The issue is fairly clear: there was violence at the game, and violent people have no place on a football pitch or in society. The rest and other opinions I try to respect, but everyone has seen what has happened," he said. "Violent people have no place on a football pitch and no place in normal, civil society," he added. He emphasised the importance of addressing the root issue of violence rather than diverting attention to other matters. "Talking about other things and not about what happened is a way of deflecting the issue. The point is that violent people should not be on a football pitch. Not just the violent ones from Atletico, but from any team. Football doesn't need these kinds of characters, they're unnecessary. They should remain somewhere else where they're not dangerous. As I said, I'm talking in general, it doesn't matter if they're violent Atletico, Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Villarreal fans. It's better if they leave us alone. Talking about Courtois' behaviour when they shouted, 'I hope you die' at him I don't know how many times, is diverting the issue," Ancelotti asserted. Regarding Kylian Mbappe's fitness, Ancelotti provided an update, noting the player's quick recovery. "He's recovered well, very quickly. He only trained individually yesterday, but he didn't spend a lot of time out, so he hasn't lost his shape. Today, he'll do all the training with the group, and then we'll make the best decision together with him, considering that the last thing we want to do is to take any risks. He had a muscle problem. He wanted to travel to play because he feels fine. We'll just have to see how he trains today, and, if he's 100% and there's no risk, he'll play from the first minute," he said. Addressing the midfield situation, Ancelotti clarified the approach in Toni Kroos' absence. "We're not looking for someone to replace Kroos, we have to adapt to his absence. Modric played very well against Atletico, in my opinion, he was the best player in the team. Kroos is irreplaceable, we have to find another way to play without him. The team has plenty of qualities, at the moment we haven't shown our full potential, but I'm confident that we'll do so very soon," Ancelotti noted. On the topic of Arda Guler's playing time, Ancelotti acknowledged his progress and contributions. "He's played much more in this part of the season than last year. He's done well, he's contributed to the team, and he's progressing. I don't have to tell him anything, he knows all too well what his role is. He knows he has a future and that he's part of the team. Sometimes he plays and sometimes he doesn't," the head coach said. When questioned about the Atletico players applauding the Frente Atletico, Ancelotti chose to refrain from commenting on the behaviour of others. "I don't want to comment on the behaviour of other people and other colleagues who I respect very much. I don't want to comment on this at all," he concluded. (ANI)
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