Ten days after their 0-4 mauling at the hands of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid will be back in action on Tuesday as they face a stern test against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid saw their weekend La Liga clash against Valencia get postponed due to the flash floods in the region that have caused a lot of fatalities.
As such, at the start of the press conference today, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti extended a message of condolence to those affected by the tragic event, saying:
“Good morning. It’s been a week of tragedy and we have sadness. This is the emotion. We are very close to Valencia and all the people affected. We are close to them and hopefully it can be resolved soon.
“I want you to understand that talking about football is complicated. So is playing football. We are part of this country. And this affects a lot.
“Out of respect for everyone, I will try to keep the press conference as simple as possible, because I don’t feel like talking about football. Also, for me, it’s a special match tomorrow. I will try to talk as little as possible. Thank you.”
Ancelotti then went on to admit that it was difficult for himself and his team to prepare for the game with everything that has been happening in Spain, as he said:
“Yes, because you don’t have your head in your work. It was a terrible thing. We will prepare for it, because we are professionals. We will try to play it and win it, obviously. It’s the right thing to do.”
Continuing he added: “The feeling is to talk as little as possible about football. As I said, it’s our profession. We have an important, special match against Milan, but in the background.
Despite there being calls for all matches in Spain to be called off in light of the tragic events, only those in the affected regions were postponed. On being asked if it was the right call, Ancelotti said:
“Everyone has been clear. Nobody wanted to play. It seemed like the right decision. But we are not the ones in charge. Those at the top make that decision.”
On how football missed a chance to help those affected, he said: “There are many ways to help. Football had to stop this weekend and then football has to help.”
Further stressing that he felt games should have been called off last weekend, Ancelotti added: “Football is a party and you can celebrate and have a party when you are well. When your family is well and everybody is well.
“When people are not well you don’t have to party. Football has to stop. For me it does. Because it is the most important of the least important. But we can’t make decisions. We are not the ones in charge.”
The Real Madrid boss also briefly discussed how the situation had been handled in Spain and whether it has felt like the people of Valencia have been left abandoned.
“I can’t comment on how this tragedy has been handled. I have to do my best to try to help,” he said.
“They are frustrated, that’s normal. But I am not here to evaluate what politics has done this week. I don’t have the resources to do this,” he added.
“It is difficult to think about something like this in 2024. We are in 2024 with all the information we have. You can get the exact time of when it starts raining…. And this kind of tragedy you can’t fix.”
On whether it is possible for players or coaches to take a stance and stop the matches from being played in situations, Ancelotti remarked:
“The power we have is equal to zero. We can’t make any kind of decisions. All the coaches wanted to stop the game. Some have played, some have not. The power of decision of the coach, in these cases, is equal to zero.”
Regarding his Coach of the Year Trophy win at the Ballon d’Or ceremony last week, Ancelotti said:
“I’m happy, the Ballon d’Or is over and we have to congratulate all the winners.”
On how the squad’s mindset is coming into tomorrow’s contest, the Real Madrid boss replied:
“It’s been a difficult week, because it’s not the normal atmosphere. But not because of what happened with the Ballon d’Or. It happened and that’s it. Congratulations to the winners.
“Sadness is not there, the sadness is because of what is happening here in Spain.”
On how Vinicius Jr. is doing after losing the Ballon d’Or to Rodri, he added: “He’s normal. He realises what is happening. Fortunately, we didn’t play on Saturday and Vinicius has trained well, like everyone else.”
“Vinicius is sad, like us, but not because of the Ballon d’Or, but because he is looking at the situation in Valencia,” he added.
Source: AS