Real Madrid News
Ancelotti’s message to AC Milan director after Champions League draw: “See you in Istanbul”
With Real Madrid kissing their hopes of defending the La Liga title goodbye last night, all efforts will be focused on winning the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid will face off against Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition over the next couple of weeks. Should they get through the round, one of Bayern Munich or Manchester City will await them in the semi-finals.
So, the path to the finals of the competition will be anything but easy for the Merengues.
However, according to AC Milan director Paolo Maldini, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti called him up right after the quarter-final draw took place and told him that they will meet in Istanbul, the venue where the finals of the Champions League will be held.
As reported by La Repubblica, Maldini said: “Right after the draw, Ancelotti called me and said: ‘Paolo, see you in Istanbul, okay?’.”
AC Milan are in the opposite bracket of the Champions League draw. The Rossoneri, who are the reigning champions of Italy, will be facing fellow Serie A side Napoli in the quarter-finals of the competition.
A victory there would set up a semi-final date against either SL Benfica or Inter Milan for Stefano Pioli’s side. While the draw seems easier than that of Real Madrid, Napoli have been in top form this term and Inter Milan and Benfica can be darkhorses.
But, Ancelotti, a former player and manager of AC Milan, seems to be keen on facing off against his old club in the finals of the Champions League.
Interestingly, though, former Real Madrid captain and club legend Iker Casillas recently predicted that it will be Napoli who will make it to the finals along with Los Blancos.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
