Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Modric, Alaba, Asensio, Ceballos ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna
Real Madrid will be chasing their third trophy of the 2022/23 season when they take on CA Osasuna in the finals of the Copa del Rey at Estadio de La Cartuja on Saturday night.
Having already won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, Carlo Ancelotti & co. will be raring to add another trophy, especially given that they have failed in the defence of their La Liga crown.
Leading up to the game, manager Ancelotti addressed the media and provided an update on the fitness of Luka Modric among several other things.
Talking about the big game, he said: “Playing a final is very exciting. With each final, I think it may be the last. I always tell the players that you have to enjoy because they are special matches.
“We prepared with desire, we have managed to reach this final with merit after very complicated matches.”
After the CdR final, Real Madrid have another daunting challenge ahead of them as they face Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. But, Ancelotti insisted that the team is focused on what lies ahead and not looking beyond tomorrow’s game.
“Tomorrow we go out without thinking about what will happen next. The players are motivated and planning matches like this with this squad is simple.”
Providing a very positive update on the fitness of Luka Modric, Ancelotti said: “Yesterday he trained without problems and today, the idea is to do it again. If he’s comfortable, he’ll play. The sensations yesterday were very good and we’ll see now.”
As for another returning star David Alaba, the manager added: “It is something that we have evaluated because he has trained with a lot of load. We think he’s not going to risk it. We can’t know, but he has recovered.”
On whether his future is at stake in the upcoming games against Osasuna and City, he said: “A Cup final and a semifinal, nothing more. I’m not risking my life, that’s fine. First, the Cup final, a competition that doesn’t seem important at first, and then, it is.
“Later, the semifinals, which would be better to prepare it with a trophy in the bag. About my future, I repeat: contract until June 2024, not tomorrow.”
There have been a lot of question marks on the quality of refereeing in La Liga this season, owing to the number of red cards that have been shown. When asked for his take on it, the Real Madrid boss said:
“In my opinion, the red cards are too many, because not all of them are to prevent injuries, many are wrong. Tomorrow will be a correct, balanced match, where everyone will do their own thing.”
When poked about his future amid links to the Brazil national team, Ancelotti replied: “I don’t know what final number it is for me. Talking about my future today is not right. I have a great relationship with the president and José Ángel, that’s enough for me. I would like to win both titles.”
The Real Madrid defence has not been solid enough in recent games and talking about the improvements needed, Ancelotti said:
“When I do an analysis of a game, I usually share it with the players. Most of the time they may not agree, although we are in the analyses of the last games. Games like tomorrow’s are special.”
Leading up to the game, there had been speculations that Real Madrid will not celebrate with their fans if they do indeed win the Copa del Rey as they will be focusing on the next game against Man City. However, Ancelotti insisted otherwise, saying:
“Why won’t we celebrate? When you win you have to celebrate, although there are ways. We would like to celebrate with all the fans. Napoli is celebrating because they have won the league after 33 years. I hope we can do the same if we win. We will celebrate.”
On whether he thinks he can field the same lineup against Osasuna and Manchester City in three days, Ancelotti replied: “It can be. On Sunday or Monday we will evaluate the physical requirement of tomorrow’s game.”
Talking about preparations for the cup final, he added: “Planning a final is always complicated. We have arrived here thanks to the commitment of many, A key moment was the comeback against Villarreal, where Asensio and Ceballos, who did not play much, gave a key boost.”
Earlier in the day, Osasuna boss Jagoba Arrasate praised Ancelotti, calling him a ‘specialist in winning finals’. Talking about his counterpart, the Real Madrid boss said:
“I told Jagoba that we would meet in the final because I knew it. Tomorrow will be a competitive match against an organized rival. It will be a complicated game, we must be prepared to face the difficult moments of the game.”
Source: Real Madrid Twitter
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
