Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Modric, Asensio, Kroos, Rodrygo, Vinicius after Real Madrid 2-1 Cadiz
Real Madrid secured a 2-1 win over Cadiz on Thursday night and signed off the first half of their season with a strong performance. It was a much-needed victory for Los Blancos, especially after their recent defeat to Rayo Vallecano.
It was a Toni Kroos special at the Bernabeu as the German assisted Eder Militao’s opener before scoring the second goal on the night.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media after his team’s win over Cadiz and spoke about Luka Modric and the World Cup amongst other topics. Here are the snippets from his press conference.
On Modric’s miss late in the game: “I told him he’s lucky that Croatia’s squad list for the World Cup is already announced (laughs).”
On not playing Marco Asensio: “Marco Asensio was a bit overloaded and tired so I preferred not to use him to avoid risks.”
On the pitch at Santiago Bernabeu: “I hope they will fix it now that there’s time.”
On the substitutions: “I didn’t want to substitute anyone tonight because all the players were good on the pitch. But then they scored so we needed something.”
On Toni Kroos’ role in the team: “I don’t think he has changed. His position is always the same, maybe now he defends more because Tchouaméni likes moving more.”
On the FIFA World Cup: “Of course, I’ll watch the games. I’ll support Brazil, Croatia, Spain, France, Uruguay, and Germany. I’ll cheer for my players.”
On Modric’s reaction to his miss: “Nothing, he still can’t believe it. He is a bit lost (laughs).”
On VAR not intervening over a possible foul on Rodrygo: “In Rodrygo’s action, they will have had their reasons for the VAR not to enter. It seems clear to me, it’s a punch.”
On Vinicius being provoked: “He is managing very well what is happening to him. He has particular control over rivals. In recent games, he has been hit many times and he has had good control.
“The other day I saw a statistic that is important for Spanish football. It says that of the five top European leagues La Liga has had the most red cards – 55 against 10 in the Premier League. I don’t want to say that today’s was red, which for me it is. But there are many that are not. This affects Spanish football, which is not ugly football.”
Source: Real Madrid Twitter
The Santiago Bernabeu is ready for the first time in a fortnight as Real Madrid are set to host relegation-threatened Real Valladolid for gameweek 27 of La Liga. The gap between them and Barcelona was increased to 15 yesternight, and los blancos will be looking to cut it down to 12 to scarce the tiniest bit of hope of defending their league crown.
Carlo Ancelotti has opted to use a highly attacking starting lineup for the clash, with Karim Benzema spearheading the front-three. He is flanked by Marco Asensio on the right while Vinicius Jr retains his place on the left.
Rodrygo also gets the nod to start, probably as an attacking midfielder in what looks like a 4-2-3-1.
Aurelien Tchouameni has been given the nod in midfield, with Toni Kroos forming the double pivot alongside him.
With Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, and Nacho out injured, Eduardo Camavinga gets the license to start as the left-back, while Lucas Vazquez flanks the defence from the right. The usual suspects — Eder Militao and David Alaba — start in central defence.
Thibaut Courtois was a doubt heading into this game, but has been given the medical greenlight to take his place as the goalkeeper.
📋✅ Our squad for #RealMadridRealValladolid! pic.twitter.com/T9G5QY3P4D
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 2, 2023
Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Tchouameni, Kroos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius; Benzema
