Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room at San Mamés following the Copa del Rey quarter-final. The coach explained: "We're hurting because we want to win every competition we're involved in. We won the Super Cup, we're in good shape in another two competitions and I don't think this defeat will have any adverse consequences. The consequence is that this defeat could make us stronger. We knew it was going to be a difficult game and we had players out. Vini Jr. gave it everything he could, they really played hard against him but that's the way it is".
“I took Kroos off for Camavinga due to fatigue, the Vini Jr. and Isco switch was down to fatigue... I had more changes and I was planning to use them in extra-time. Unfortunately they scored in the last minute and I didn't get time to put other guys on", he added.
Hazard and Bale: “I have nothing to say. Why are you talking about Bale, Hazard and Jović? Why not ask about Ceballos, Carvajal? All of the guys who don't play, it must because they're being punished, right? It can't be just those three. There's nothing in it. I made decisions which didn't involve those players but if we're being honest you have to discuss Ceballos, who didn't play a single minute, and those who are on the bench like Vallejo, who have the same quality”.
"I wasn't surprised by the way the game went. It's true that Athletic were more attacking in the first half, but they didn't create many chances and we defended very well. The difference compared to other games is that we weren't able to play out from the back due to their pressing. We played out wide too much as we had to have the ball more centrally with Courtois and Casemiro. When we moved the ball out wide through Alaba and Lucas, we put them under pressure. At the end of the first half we spoke about having more of the ball centrally but it didn't work out the way we wanted it to".
False nine: "We didn't play with an out-and-out centre-forward. Nobody has Karim's quality, he really helps us in possession and Asensio could have given us that along with Rodrygo and Isco. We didn't change our plan, we tried to play out from the back, but they pressed well and this made it more difficult for us to create clear chances. It didn't work out because Athletic pressed very high and in that respect they made it more difficult. That was so important in terms of how the game panned out".
"With 70 minutes on the clock the pressure relented a bit and the game was under control. We would have had the edge if it had gone to extra-time because they had got through so much physical work and we might have got more chances in extra-time. Unfortunately they scored and we’re out”.
Worst performance of the season: “No, not at all. It was difficult because we knew the game against Athletic would be tough. We won in LaLiga, but it was tough. The game was extremely tight until the final minute and Athletic deserved it for the incredible effort they put in, but no, I don’t think it was our worst performance of the season”.
Besides the coach, it was Nacho who also gave a thought on the match: “It wasn’t one of our best games but we did well defensively. We struggled to get into the game. We just weren’t at it up top. That’s football. We’ve lost at a very difficult place to come. We have to keep our heads up and press on because there’s still a long way to go. We’re frustrated, we were excited but that's a trophy that’s got away from us now and everyone is important”.
Fighting for the remaining trophies: "The way that the matches are organised isn't the best. We had three starters who played two days ago, who had a very long journey and didn't get any rest. We're not going to look for excuses. We have to carry on, focus on the future and fight for what's left".
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