After Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo, Carlo Ancelotti addressed the media to reflect on the team’s performance.
The Italian manager was pleased to have secured a vital three points, keeping Real Madrid competitive at the top of the table alongside Barcelona.
He highlighted how difficult it was to face a side like Celta, noting their intensity and competitive edge throughout the match.
Ancelotti expressed satisfaction with his team’s commitment and their ability to rise to the challenge. He pointed out Luka Modric’s contribution as a pivotal moment in the match.
“We competed well, the team was committed throughout the match, Celta played well and with intensity, we won three points thanks to a fantastic pass from Modric, he has this quality and he always contributes,” the manager began saying.
Modric, despite not starting, made a significant impact by delivering a key pass that led to the win. The coach praised Modric for his quality and consistency, regardless of whether he starts the game or comes off the bench.
“When he starts, when he comes off the bench… he always helps us. He came on at a difficult moment in the match and changed the game.”
Ancelotti emphasized how fortunate Real Madrid are to have such a talented player, not only for his skills on the field but also for his calm and professional attitude.
“It’s a pleasure to coach him as a player and as a person,” he added.
Modric made history
The discussion also turned to Modric’s remarkable achievement of becoming the oldest player in Real Madrid’s history, surpassing the legendary Ferenc Puskas.
Ancelotti had nothing but admiration for Modric, calling him a fantastic footballer and a calm yet determined professional who continues to make a difference.
“There is not much to add. He is a fantastic footballer and he still is. An extraordinary professional. A calm man, but with character. Real Madrid have been lucky to have this player.”
Jude Bellingham’s character
The topic of Jude Bellingham also came up during the conversation, with questions surrounding a specific moment in the match where Vinicius Jr. didn’t pass to Bellingham, which led to some frustration.
Ancelotti downplayed the incident, explaining that there were no issues between the two players. He reassured that both players were in good spirits after the game, laughing and talking, showing there was no lasting tension.
“I haven’t seen the action you’re talking about. But if it happened, it means he has balls and character and I think it’s fine.
“Honestly, I didn’t notice the play, I’ll watch it. But if he reacted… don’t worry, after the game they were talking, laughing. They don’t have any problems,” said the manager.
Tactical shift
Ancelotti also touched on the team’s tactical setup, particularly Bellingham’s new role. The idea was to exploit Celta’s defensive vulnerabilities by positioning Bellingham on the right wing to deliver crosses into the box.
“Bellingham’s position has changed: the idea was to go in with him from the second line on the right wing because Celta were suffering with balls to the far post, conceding. We tried Jude in this position and I liked him a lot.”
However, he acknowledged that there were some tactical imbalances during the first half, particularly with Aurelien Tchouameni’s positioning when Real Madrid had the ball.
Ancelotti admitted that these issues needed further adjustment but seemed confident they could be resolved.
“When we had the ball, Tchouameni played between the two central defenders. That’s where we had a problem of balance in the first half because, if with the ball there were three of us, without him he had to go forward.
“We made mistakes because I didn’t explain it well.”
Not a permanent option
Regarding the future, Ancelotti clarified that this particular formation, where Tchouameni plays between the centre-backs, may not be a permanent strategy.
“It’s not that we have to work on it a lot. As long as he gets in between the centre-backs, that’s fine.
“The only thing is that, if we lose the ball, he would get forward and the centre-backs would be open. And that’s where we suffered.”
He mentioned it could be used in certain games depending on the opposition’s setup but assured it wouldn’t be a fixed part of Real Madrid’s style.
“We have to fix it; calm down, we can do it. But we’re not going to play like this all the time.
“We might do it in some games, to have a low-pressure start, but when the opponent plays in a different formation, we can play with the same pivot as always.”
To round off, Ancelotti expressed his excitement about having two world-class talents in Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe.
He noted their spectacular goals in the match, praising both for their exceptional quality and how they have improved during the international break.
“Two spectacular goals. Both have enough quality to do this kind of thing and they have taken advantage of it.
“They have trained very well during this break, improving their conditions. Let’s keep going,” he concluded.
Source: AS