Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Lewandowski, Valverde, Militao, Laporta following 3-1 win over Barcelona
Real Madrid avenged their 4-0 defeat against Barcelona from last year with a dominant win over the Blaugranas at the same venue. Los Blancos dominated the first half, and while the second half may not have been their best, it saw some resilient defence that earned them the win.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side move to the top of the league table with this result and have a sizeable lead over their rivals. The manager spoke to the press after his team’s win and addressed topics ranging from Federico Valverde to the refereeing. Here are the snippets from Ancelotti’s presser.
On controlling Robert Lewandowski: “I used Miltão to put pressure on Lewandowski.”
On the team’s strategy: “After last time, I wanted to make sure we played a more simple game.”
On the first half: “The key part of today has been our first half. We were a lot better. We’ve been lethal in attack.”
On his midfielders: “Kroos and Valverde were very good today. They helped a lot in creating from the flanks.”
On Federico Valverde: “Valverde is getting used to play in the new position. He’s a spectacular player.”
On the three points: “We have earned these 3 points. We got them from our direct rival so it’s very important.”
On Aurelien Tchouameni: “Tchouaméni is very young but he has a big personality, he’s amazing. It looks like he’s been here for years because he plays alongside Modrić and Kroos so it’s easier.”
On Laporta protesting the refereeing: “Laporta went to the locker room to complain about the referee? I think the referee was fair. He did his job.”
On registering a rampant win: “A ‘goleada’ against Barcelona? That’s another football (laughs), we only care about winning.”
On the mentality of his team: “We’ve become more united as a team after what happened last season. Same with our fans at the Bernabéu. It looked like a Champions League night today.”
On Eder Militao’s role: “I asked Militao to be more aggressive on Lewandowski and Alaba to keep the game controlled.”
Source: Real Madrid Twitter
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
