Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Bellingham, Camavinga, Garcia, Alli, El Clasico, formation change
With the pre-season underway, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti took some time out to speak to the media today and addressed several topics during his interaction.
The 64-year-old will go into the new season with a fresh squad that has been boosted by the arrivals of players like Jude Bellingham, Joselu, Arda Guler, and Fran Garcia.
As such there have been talks of the Italian tactician changing formation to accommodate the new signings and find their best position.
Addressing the same in the presser, the Real Madrid boss said (h/t Mundo Deportivo): “It could be that this year we will play with a different system. We have to find a new style, especially on the tour, which is an important part of the pre-season.”
“The players have to feel comfortable in the system they play,” he added.
Moving on to the topic of Bellingham, who has arrived in a deal worth €103 million plus add-ons, Ancelotti said:
“Bellingham is working hard, he had a little problem on holiday, on his knee, but now he’s fine and he will play on this tour.”
Ancelotti relied on youngster Eduardo Camavinga as a makeshift left-back quite a bit last season. But the manager confirmed that the Frenchman will not play as a full-back next season, saying:
“The idea is that Camavinga will play as an interior midfielder or as a pivot. When we have the left-back occupied with Fran Garcia or Mendy, he is not going to play there.”
Real Madrid have some juicy pre-season friendlies lined up on their tour of the USA as they face AC Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Juventus.
The highlight will be the Clasico, which generated a lot of excitement last year as well in the US. And, Ancelotti expects more of the same this time out too, as he said:
“Against Barça there is no friendly. It’s a Clasico and we like to play it and win it. Everyone knows that they are spectacular games. They always have been because there is a very big rivalry.
“We saw it last year in a fantastic atmosphere. I think it’s going to be the same this year. It’s always like that. It’s a difficult, complicated game, but it’s clear that everyone likes to play (a Clasico). There is no friendly between Barcelona and Real Madrid and there never will be.”
MLS is in the spotlight currently after Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets left PSG and Barcelona, respectively, to move to Inter Miami. So, Ancelotti was quizzed if he would ever consider managing in the United States of America.
In response, the Real Madrid boss said: “Well, football in the States has to compete with very strong sports, they are doing well and the signing of Messi will help them to improve. But the truth is that among (US) citizens there is a lot of passion.”
Ancelotti also had kind words for Dele Alli, who gave a moving interview recently, shedding light on the personal issues that he has been battling with.
“I heard about this, sometimes in sport and life you have difficult moments and you have to use your strength to move on, I hope he can move on from this situation,” Ancelotti stated.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
