Carletto is truly a man of records, especially when it comes to the continental trophies. With the UEFA Super Cup win in Helsinki, Ancelotti has made history. The win against Eintracht Frankfurt saw him become the first coach in history to win the competition four times. The Italian is unbeaten in the UEFA Super Cup, having won it on all four occasions as a coach.
His first two were with Milan: in 2003 against Porto and in 2007 against Sevilla. Those two matches took place in Monaco. He got the same result in charge of our team. Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 2-0 in 2014 in Cardiff and in Helsinki it was a 2-0 win against Eintracht. Ancelotti has also won the 1990 UEFA Super Cup as a player with Milan.
Ancelotti is one of only three coaches in Real Madrid's history to have claimed the UEFA Super Cup. Zidane's two wins (2016 and 2017) and the one for Del Bosque (2002) join the Italian's two trophies. Ancelotti has now won a total of eight trophies with Real Madrid: two European Cups, one Club World Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one LaLiga, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup.
After the historical triumph at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room and addressed the victory in the following terms: "We don't need this game to show that we've got a strong team, we're motivated and we want to keep on winning. The match proved to be more difficult than we had expected”.
“We were looking for balls between the lines in the first half. We controlled things after Alaba's scored the first goal and we didn't take any risks. We're still solid at the back and have kept three clean sheets in the last three finals. That's a very encouraging sign".
He added: "The dressing room is in good shape and it's a pleasure to coach these players as there's a good balance here. The matches are great and winning help to keep the dressing room healthy. It's mainly down to the players' intelligence".
Improvements from last season: "Nobody a year ago had the confidence in a team like this. The team grew and improved a lot last year, but there's also room for improvement. We've taken a lot of steps forward".
Benzema: "Nobody doubts Karim and for us he's the most important and most effective player in the world. He played a very big role in winning the Champions League. He didn't score in the final, but he scored important goals to get us to the final. He scored three against City, Chelsea and PSG. He's definitely the best for us".
Rotations: "We're going to rotate a bit more this year".
The move for the first goal: "The first goal was a rebound at the back post. The idea was to play balls in to the back post as that's where they were weak. The important thing was Casemiro being there because that's what was on the tactics board".
Alaba’s contribution: "Alaba has changed his game and he's a more experienced player, he's tactically adept, defensive positioning and he's a leader at the back. He controls the defensive line well. He's improved a lot in this respect compared to when I coached him at Bayern Munich".
Coaching staff: "I can't do the job alone. I need help with the fitness, medical and strategic elements. I trust everyone and I like to hand out responsibility. We're doing very well and we have a good team spirit in the dressing room".
Casemiro MVP: "He hasn't reacted and I haven't questioned him about the idea of bringing in Tchouameni. I agree with him receiving the MVP award because his work in the defensive transitions meant the game wasn't as complicated as it could have been. A great player in Tchouameni has joined us and he's going to learn a lot from Casemiro".
Preparation: "This season is going to be a strange one. The players are focused and the ones going to the World Cup are going to give everything they can to be ready. There won't be many problems before the World Cup. We'll have to see how tired the players are after the World Cup. They normally go on holiday after the World Cup, but not this season".
Celebrating sitting down with Casemiro and Militão: "I was tired and I've got a problem with my knee from standing. That's why I sat down to talk and joke with them about the game. Militão put in a very good performance".
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