Ancelotti on Real Madrid - Manchester rivalry and first leg UCL playoff - video Dailymotion

NicheSportMedia

Ancelotti on Real Madrid - Manchester rivalry and first leg UCL playoff  10/02/2025

Transcript

00:00Hello. Tomorrow, once again, Real Madrid and Manchester City meet in one of the best games

00:25you can see in Europe. What are the keys for tomorrow?

00:30Well, it seems like it's a Classico because we've played each other a lot of times over

00:39a lot of years in this competition. I think it will be an entertaining, equal game. It's

00:47difficult to predict what's going to happen in this game because it depends a lot, or

00:53will depend a lot, on the attitude, the quality and the confidence and the personality of

01:01the teams. It's such a high-level game that you have to come up with the best version

01:10of yourselves in every aspect, not just one aspect alone.

01:15I'd like to ask you about Vinicius. Could you analyse his season so far?

01:27Well, Vinicius, I think his season has been a good one, bearing in mind that he's had

01:37a couple of injuries that haven't allowed him to have that continuity, but I think he's

01:42scored 17 goals, he's given a lot of assistance, or assists, has been a determining factor

01:50in many games. Also, he's lacked that continuity which these injuries have stopped him from

01:58having. It's become a classic game, a derby, a Classico. This time we play in winter. I

02:12wanted to know who is better in form at the moment. City have struggled this season, Madrid

02:19haven't been great in the Champions League. In terms of being in form, that's not that

02:28indicative because I think whether you're in form or not, you have your own opinion

02:35on that. City are one of the best teams in Europe. I still think that City have the best

02:41manager out there in this competition. So I still think that it's the most difficult

02:50game that we can face, whether they're in form or not. I think during these games, if

02:57you're not at 100%, you won't get the result. It's the same for us. In that sense, I think

03:10we believe that we can be competitive despite the emergency that we have at the moment.

03:21Tomorrow, you could become the greatest legend, moving on to have 72 games in the dugout.

03:32If you look at the titles that you've won, are you still prepared to not go through from

03:41this tie and to suffer all the criticism that you will get from this? There's no doubt.

03:47We're prepared and I'm prepared because of the history that I have behind me. It covers

03:54me well, but when you play in a knockout tie, there is a risk that things don't turn out

04:02well and the risk is increased if you don't or if you play against one of the best teams

04:11out there, against one of the best managers out there. We're prepared.

04:16Hi, Carlo. You have two managers with a great history, five Champions League for you, three

04:27for Guardiola. What qualities do you see in Guardiola that you would like to have for

04:36yourself and what virtues would Pep do well to have from you?

04:45What I can say about Guardiola is that he's always tried to play well. He's brought a

04:54great deal to football in terms of the attacking play, having possession of the ball, the way

05:01he brings the ball out from the back. He has been and continues to be an innovator in football.

05:08I have huge respect for him because I still believe that he's one of the best, if not

05:16the best. All the times that we've faced each other is a nightmare for me when it comes

05:21to preparing games because he always has ideas that make you think.

05:35This morning, many questions for Guardiola and Ruben Dias about Vinicius and the Ballon

05:40d'Or. I wanted to ask you whether Vinicius, after he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, does

05:47he have anxiety to want to do more to prove? For example, the other day in the derby when

05:56you told us that he moved more into the centre to have more contact with the ball. Do you

06:03feel that he's more anxious?

06:06No, I don't see him anxious. I see him well. I don't think he's at 100% but he's very

06:18close to that. I think in the second half of the game against Atletico Madrid, he made

06:24the difference because he was a nightmare on the left for the opponents. He was very

06:32close to his top level and I think he can get there tomorrow without a doubt. He's motivated

06:38and he's really looking forward to playing tomorrow.

06:43Carlos, a question in English please. This game against Manchester City, a team that

06:49you've faced a lot in recent years, is it the greatest rivalry of this Champions League

06:55season?

06:57Yes, I think it is. It's the most difficult as well. It's the most important and most

07:02difficult rival. It's against the best coach. I think that the team that goes to the next

07:12phase has the possibility to arrive very deep in the competition, as it has been in the

07:19last few years. The team that has won this game in the last three years has won the Champions

07:26League and that can happen this year as well.

07:33In the last couple of weeks, pieces of defence have started to fall, players have been out.

07:41I wondered what you were thinking about even playing Jacobo tomorrow. Asensio, we've also

07:49looked at Valverde and the options in defence. Why at no point, when we talk about Jesús

07:56Ballego, what's happened with Jesús Ballego?

08:02Nothing's wrong with Ballego. He's training with us, he's informed, but his contract

08:10was coming to an end, so we decided to give the opportunity to other young players.

08:15Today, we've found out about the team talk that you gave at the end of the Champions

08:22League. Is it very difficult and is it very intense? Was Carlo Ancelotti very intense

08:29with his players?

08:30I'm not hard on my players, I'm intense. I had that idea during that team talk at the

08:39half-time period. I explained what I wanted from my players.

08:45Carlo, neither Manchester City nor Real Madrid have played at their top level this season,

08:54but Real Madrid are still leaders in LaLiga. Are you surprised that Manchester City are

09:00not at the level they were last year and that Pep Guardiola hasn't been able to find the

09:07solution to their problems?

09:09I'm surprised, of course, because they had a period when it was difficult to get to

09:16the next level because they lost points because of injuries. For now, what I've seen in

09:22the last two or three games, a good team, very competitive, as always.

09:27I have a doubt to think that Manchester City is not so strong. Manchester City is a very

09:38strong team with fantastic players and, as I've said, a fantastic coach.

09:44What does it show, knowing that both these teams are so big, but also Manchester City

09:56have spent in this transfer window and Real Madrid, despite their injuries in defence,

10:04haven't made any signings? What does that say about the philosophy of those two institutions?

10:12That each person has their opinion and has the right to do whatever they want to do.

10:23I can't add anything to that.

10:25Last two questions.

10:28A question in English, please, Carlo.

10:30Many months ago, Real Madrid made the decision to boycott Valandor because of Vinicius Jr.

10:40You're a coach who has a lot of respect worldwide, but after having had time to reflect,

10:47do you think it was a bad decision to make that decision?

10:51I don't think it was a bad decision.

10:55We didn't want to participate because we thought Vinicius was the winner of the Ballon d'Or.

11:02That doesn't mean we don't respect Rodri, who won the award, because he's a fantastic player.

11:10But we thought, and I also thought, that Rodri deserved to win the year before.

11:24The story of the last few years of when Real Madrid go through against Manchester City,

11:29they win the Champions League.

11:31Is it a motivation to face Manchester City, or is it a headache?

11:36No, it's always a headache to face Manchester City.

11:38The reality, the time we went through against Manchester City,

11:42or the times that we have, we've won the Champions League.

11:44And I think, as I've said, I'm convinced that the team that goes through from this tie

11:51will go very deep into the competition.

11:54And that's why it surprises me that we're in a play-off.

12:01If we play this play-off, City and Real Madrid,

12:08it's not UEFA's fault, it's our fault for being in this position.

12:12But it's a little bit surprising that we have to play this game,

12:16which could be a semi-final, a quarter-final.

12:20And the surprises that we're facing at this moment of the season,

12:25but it's only our fault that we're in this position.

Ancelotti on Real Madrid - Manchester rivalry and first leg UCL playoff

Category

Transcript

Recommended