Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Benzema, Kroos, Rodrygo following Cadiz 0-2 Real Madrid
Two late quick-fire goals helped Real Madrid get past Cadiz on Saturday night at Estadio Ramon de Carranza. Carlo Ancelotti’s men should have buried at least four goals on the night in all fairness but have no one to blame but themselves for poor finishing.
Nacho Fernandez broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute before Marco Asensio doubled the lead four minutes later with his second goal in as many appearances.
Ancelotti spoke to the media about a plethora of topics after his side’s 0-2 win over Cadiz and here are the snippets.
The Real Madrid coach began his press conference with a summary of his team’s performance and the positive takeaways.
“I’m pleased with the way the team played. It was a good performance at an important moment in the season. The players’ attitude on the pitch was outstanding, despite it not being easy to prepare for.”
He then commented on the dilemma in his mind, albeit a good one, that was created because of positive performances even by the backup players.
“These games create more doubts for me for Tuesday because a lot of players have played well. Tchouameni, Asensio, Ceballos, and Karim as always. We have doubts but also the peace of mind of having a lot of options on the bench.”
Ancelotti was then asked about the team’s fitness, especially given that they play two games per week on average while other teams in Spain play only one. Yet, he was optimistic about the fitness of his side and said,
“We’re doing really well and you can see that on the pitch. The team has energy and the fact that we have a 35-year-old who had a fantastic game on Wednesday night and three days later he put on another great display is a sign that the team’s doing well.”
La Liga is the only competition in which Los Blancos have suffered serious setbacks this season. With just nine games left in the competition, their chances of lifting the title are very slim. Ancelotti explained the reason for his men’s downfall in La Liga.
“We could do better in the league, but we suffered a lot in January. We dropped points that give us a disadvantage at the moment.”
Asked to specifically comment on Karim Benzema, who is set to play three matches in less than seven days, the Italian had only words of praise for the veteran striker.
“He looks in great shape to me, very fresh. He trained brilliantly yesterday. I told him I’d play him but bring him off when he got tired but he was fine until the end. He was disappointed not to have scored, but it was a pleasure to watch him. I didn’t want to bring him off because I was enjoying him being on the pitch and his nice link-up with Rodrygo.”
Toni Kroos and Vini Jr were both left out the Merengues’ squad to face Cadiz. However, the manager reassured fans that the duo would be back in action for the game at Stamford Bridge.
“They will play on Tuesday. They couldn’t play today because they both had small issues. They trained separately today but tomorrow they’ll train as normal and be fine for Tuesday.”
Ancelotti closed his press conference with a note on Marco Asensio and his impact in recent games. He acknowledged that the Spaniard had not gotten many opportunities this season, but commended his ability to make a difference.
“He’s replicating the levels he showed last year. He may have played a little less but he always delivers. He’s a decisive player because he can make the difference with his goals and assists.”
Source: Real Madrid website
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
