Carlo Ancelotti and Thibaut Courtois spoke for the media at the José Zorrilla after Real Madrid's victory over Valladolid. The return at the routine for them, just like for the other part of the club and team, was greeted by many fans and they did the best to keep them happy. The coach and the players explained the difficulty they faced and the team’s work to get a very important victory while keeping a clean sheet (which is the third time for this La Liga season, and also appreciated the effort put by the opponent which made the game quite interesting,
Ancelotti said: "It was a tough game against a side that grew into the game. We did well in the first half, controlling the game. Valladolid performed well and made it a competitive game. The team wasn't solid enough, but we came away with three points from this difficult game. Both Courtois and Benzema put in a great performance, and Benzema was amongst the goals once again. An unforgettable year is coming to an end in style. We have to keep moving forward slowly to get all the players back to good shape".
He then explained how Courtois and Benzema were key: "Courtois and Benzema were key, as well as the work of the whole team. Hazard will play in the next game. This was useful for Benzema. I looked at it before this game, I knew he could be important today and he was. He's motivated and full of confidence. We're going to see a different Karim in the second half of the season than in the first half".
Meanwhile, against Valladolid, Carlo Ancelotti notched up 197 games on the Real Madrid sidelines counting 145 wins, 25 draws and 27 defeats in total. The Italian coach joined Beenhakker as the Real Madrid manager to have overseen the fourth most games. He now only trails Miguel Muñoz (605), Zidane (263) and Del Bosque (246). Ancelotti's appearances are divided between La Liga (129), Champions League (44), the Copa del Rey (16), the Spanish Super Cup (4), the Club World Cup (2) and the European Super Cup (2).
Courtois, gave his thoughts on the win as one of the match's key players: "It's a big win and keeping a clean sheet is also a positive. I want to keep clean sheets in every game, but a 3-1 win is better than a 0-0 draw. It looked like a draw for a long time, with both sides making some good saves. Both teams put in a good performance. In the end, the handball and the penalty from Benzema settled the game".
He continued: "Benzema is playing very well. He was maybe lacking a bit of sharpness because he hasn't played much in the last three months. The Karim of last year might have picked up a few more goals. Scoring two goals is very good for his confidence. He played well, scored the penalty and the big chance he had. It's now time to focus on the Copa de Rey and after that a tough game at Villarreal, which is always a tricky game".
Something about the Handball: "They said something about being propped up by a hand, he hits the ball and it comes off him. In another LaLiga game Asensio was hit in the chest and it was a penalty. It's a bit strange, even in the World Cup we don't understand when it's a handball and when it's not. The other handball is clear, unfortunately for Javi. They are soft penalties, but they are penalties".
At the end it was Valverde’s turn: "At times it was difficult for us. We lacked mobility up front and finding attacking space was tough. We had a lot of chances, but we should have backed Benzema and Asensio up in the box a bit more. Courtois had a great game, he was key to the win. There are times when spaces appear in the last few minutes and you have to take advantage of them. I think we did that well”.
I sometimes play as a winger and find myself much closer to the penalty area where it's more likely that the ball will fall to me to get a shot off. When I play centrally I look to help out defensively, making it difficult for me to join in the attacks. I need to continue improving and developing and learn how to read play better. I have to try to help out defensively, the job of a midfielder is always an all-round job", the Uruguayan concluded.
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