Carlo Ancelotti saw his team clinch another victory and this time it had a double value. Emerging victorious from a match like El Clasico is an extra boost for the team besides the direct impact on the table. Real Moves clear on the top and extends the unbeaten run to 14 matches. To assess this game, he spoke in the press room at the Bernabéu after the win. In his interview, Carletto touched everything from the players, game system, referee and of course the fans!
The coach said: "The first half was the key. We were the better team and were strong and clinical. We managed to play out from the back well because they were pressing high up the pitch. We played with confidence, playing out from the back and we were strong up front. Everybody was engaged and that was key to winning the game. We've taken all three points from a strong team in this competition who are doing well this season. Barcelona are a good side with plenty of strengths. It's a long season and there's a lot of games still to play. We're happy with our performance".
Kroos and Valverde: "They did a very good job. Kroos has really helped playing out from the back and was strong defensively, not one of his usual strengths. Valverde was his usual self. He's growing into that position. He’s arriving in the opposition area a lot more and scoring. He’s got amazing energy and talent".
Tchouameni: "He's young, but shows a lot of personality and character. He slots into a midfield that already has everything. Playing alongside Modrić and Kroos really helps him and he feels comfortable. In the end it's about the individual's quality and he has it. I'm not talking about technique or physique, but personality and character".
The dynamics of the match: "We kept on the front foot right until the end and wanted to win the game. You can't play with that intensity from the first half all the time. We wanted to rotate players earlier, but we had the game under control and didn't want to change the dynamic. Barcelona pushed on a bit more in the second half. We didn't play out as well as we did in the first half, but we didn't have too much to worry about at the back”.
Militão: “It looked like a man-marking job on Lewandowski. I asked him to get up close to him and be more aggressive than Alaba, who I wanted to control possession a bit more. I wanted Militão to be more forceful and he delivered a spectacular display. The referee did his job and did it well”.
Kroos’ contract renewal: “He knows how we all feel. We don’t have to push him, he’s a very intelligent, disciplined and professional guy and he likes being at Real Madrid. We’ll be happy whatever he decides”.
Good football: “Scoring mad amounts of goals is a different thing. We’re concerned with winning games, not scoring thrashing teams”.
Benzema’s performance: “He looked good in training and he’ll make progress on his fitness. He put in a good performance, got his goal and was important for us. I hope he wins the Ballon d’Or and we’ll congratulate him because it is in a way a Ballon d’Or for us”.
System: “In the first half we were comfortable with the low block defending and hitting them on the break. Then we gradually started to play the ball out from the back a bit better. Then we got a lot of joy by doing other things on the pitch”.
Feeling with the fans: “It’s nothing new to me. The fans have always been close to us. What happened last year brought us even closer to them. It was like a Champions League night with the atmosphere and the team responded”.
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