Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Valverde, Odegaard, Asencio, Arteta ahead of Arsenal vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

An under-pressure Real Madrid side will take on Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium.

Real Madrid suffered a disappointing 1-2 defeat at home to Valencia in La Liga, following which Carlo Ancelotti has come under the scanner.

Another slip-up tomorrow in the Champions League would be a very concerning development for the Italian tactician, who has come under criticism for some of his decisions this season.

Ahead of tomorrow’s contest against Mikel Arteta’s men, Ancelotti addressed the media, talking about the said criticism as well as the plans and pressure heading into the match.

Starting off, the Real Madrid boss explained what his team needs to do to bounce back, as he said:

“We need personality. To do our best. It’s an important aspect to execute the game well.”

Continuing, he added: “The only thing I ask is to prepare well for the match. And we have done that. There’s a very complete opponent in front of us, who play well in the low block, who handle transitions… We have to have a clear approach and execute it.”

Vinicius Jr. was on the receiving end of boos and whistles during and after the Valencia game, where he also missed a penalty.

Giving his thoughts about the Brazilian being whistled at, Ancelotti noted: “I didn’t speak to him. I don’t need to. I know he could have played better, but whenever he doesn’t, he’s better in the next one.”

On who will be taking penalties from now on, he simply said: “We’ve thought about it and tomorrow we’ll try to manage it.”

Regarding Federico Valverde and whether he will start in midfield or at right-back tomorrow, Ancelotti kept his cards close to the chest, saying:

“It’s a doubt. He does both very well. We’ll see where he brings more to the team.”

Given Real Madrid’s recent dip in form, there are concerns about whether they can win any of the titles this season. Ancelotti, however, was confident that his team will lift more silverware.

“Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I would consider a holiday. We are here to fight for all the titles until the end. Winning… We have to try. If it doesn’t work out, we have to think about next season,” he said.

On whether the spades of criticism bother him, the Italian stated: “We can’t think about criticism with a game every three days.

“After Valencia we evaluated it and prepare well for this match. We have 90 very important minutes. Not decisive, because there are 90 more at the Bernabeu.”

Heading into tomorrow’s match, Ancelotti has drawn praise from his opposite number Arteta, while Kylian Mbappe has also spoken highly of him.

However, when asked if he felt that people were growing tired of seeing him at Real Madrid, Ancelotti said:

“Maybe so. But what counts is that the most important person hasn’t got tired. What can change the dynamic is that the most important person in this club doesn’t get tired.”

Under pressure. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

The Italian also went on to thank Arteta for his words, saying: “I thank Arteta for what he said about me. He has taken this team to the top. He has built a complete team.

“There are not many in Europe. Some do some things well, but there are not many complete teams like Arsenal.”

Talking about the importance of experience heading into matches of this type, the Real Madrid boss remarked:

“Experience in this tournament is very important. The knowledge means that you are not afraid of these matches, with this pressure.

“It’s very important to have that experience and players who have played many times in matches like this. And it helps the young players.”

Regarding Arsenal and the threat they pose from set-pieces – a weakness for Real Madrid, Ancelotti said:

“Arsenal are very dangerous from set pieces. We will try to defend as well as possible. But we can do damage too, when we have set-pieces. It’s a very important aspect.”

On former Real Madrid star and current Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, he stated: “He is still very young. The talent he has now is what he had when he was 16. He has had the character, the courage to go out. And to be one of the best in Europe.”

On Odegaard’s decision to leave Madrid, he added: “There was no space for him to show his quality. And he decided to go elsewhere, because of the possibility to go elsewhere to play. To one of the best clubs in the Champions League.”

Talking about the fact that Eduardo Camavinga and Antonio Rudiger, among others, face the threat of suspension if they get booked tomorrow, Ancelotti said:

“It doesn’t change anything. If they can’t play in Madrid we have substitutes. As with Tchouameni, who can’t play tomorrow.”

On the topic of rotation and whether he would have preferred to rotate and rest his players more, Ancelotti said:

“It’s very complicated to always ask for 100%. If you have 100% mentally, you can’t have 100% physically. This year the rotations were more necessary than usual.

“The other day we rested Asencio because he was exhausted. But injuries have not allowed us to make the necessary rotations. But the team is fine.”

Source: AS