Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius, and Jovic following Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid fell to a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday night in what was a fairly neck-to-neck encounter. In the end, it was a first-half penalty from Yannick Carrasco that separated the two sides at full time and gave Simeone’s side three points.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press after his team’s loss and addressed topics ranging from the upcoming UCL final to the areas where his team needed to improve.
Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric did not start the game against Los Rojiblancos, but the manager assured that they would be back for the next game.
“Vini, Benzema and Modric are starting next game. We need these games to get into rhythm for the UCL final.”
Speaking about Luka Jovic, who got a rare start on the night, Ancelotti said that the Serbian international played despite having health issues.
“Jovic played despite having gastroenteritis yesterday.”
The manager did not hold back when asked about Federico Valverde, and had big words for the Uruguayan midfielder.
“Valverde is a STARTER now.”
The coach then mocked at the media for not asking about penalties, referring to the criticism of Benzema last week.
“We don’t talk about the penalty today?”
Ancelotti then spoke about rotating the squad and said it was necessary to avoid any injuries. Heading into the Champions League final, he maintained that it was the priority.
“Our priority right now is to avoid physical problems. That’s why we will rotate a lot. That’s the priority.”
When asked about the final against Liverpool in Paris, the manager said they would begin preparation later in the month.
“We will start working on the UCL final after the Cadiz game. We will have two weeks before the game.”
Three league games remain this season, and Ancelotti said that he would continue to rotate players during those games.
“We will rotate all the players in these La Liga games. We have time to recover and be ready for the final on the 28th.”
With the league won, domestic results carry no importance for Los Blancos. He did not show any regret over the result in the derby, saying that they did not need points. On the contrary, though, Ancelotti said that their second-half performance was much better.
“We didn’t need points today. We needed to rest the main players and let the ones who have played less play.”
“We were not happy because we missed a lot of passes during the first half. We were better in the 2nd half.”
Source: RMTV
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid have offered renewals to all players with expiring contracts except Mariano
According to a report from Diario AS, Real Madrid had the intention to keep hold of all of the players whose contracts are expiring at the end of the season.
In line with this intention, Real Madrid had offered renewals to all the expiring players with the exception of Mariano Diaz. The fringe forward is set to leave Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, with several La Liga clubs already interested in his services.
But as far as other players are concerned, they were all offered renewals, including Nacho Fernandez, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, among others.
Veteran trio Benzema, Modric and Toni Kroos have an oral agreement with the club and will continue at the Bernabeu until 2024. But it appears Nacho, Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio are the only ones who are considering leaving the club in the coming summer.
Nacho has been one of the longest-serving players in the Real Madrid team. Although his close-aids have suggested him to stay at the club, he is strongly considering a move elsewhere. He wants to experience a new adventure in a foreign country.
Ceballos is another player unlikely to remain at the Bernabeu. The potential arrival of Jude Bellingham, coupled with the presence of various midfield stalwarts in the team should greatly affect his game-time.
Asensio, meanwhile, looks likely to leave as well. The Spaniard wanted a more prominent role in the first team but that is not a possibility at the moment. He will, therefore, see out his contract at Real Madrid until the end of the season before becoming a free agent.
The potential exit of Nacho, Asensio and Ceballos could serve as a major blow for Real Madrid and could force the club to search the market for more reinforcements in the coming summer.
