Ancelotti talks Lunin, Mbappe, Endrick, Alaba, Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be aiming to secure their place in the finals of the Copa del Rey when they take on Real Sociedad in the second leg of their semi-final tie tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid go into tomorrow’s game with a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first leg of the semi-final thanks to a first-half strike from Endrick.

Having secured a comeback win over Leganes in La Liga on Saturday, Los Blancos will now look to get the job done against Sociedad on Tuesday and get a step closer to another trophy this season.

Ahead of the game, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti addressed the media, discussing various topics including the goalkeeping spot with Thibaut Courtois’ absence from training.

On the upcoming game

With the Merengues set to play their 50th game of the season in all competitions, the manager spoke about the condition of the team, saying:

“We’re fine. Motivated and in good shape. We’re looking forward to getting into another final. We’d love to. The Cup went well for us and we want to do it again.”

Comparing the workload of today’s players to his own days as a footballer, Ancelotti commented:

“There wasn’t this wear and tear. It was another sport, another football. Not only because of wear and tear, but also because of preparation, load in the sense of injuries.

“We have to manage this in the hope of having more time to recover better, to prepare better for the matches… This season will be very demanding. We have managed it well taking into account the serious injuries that we can’t recover until the end.”

On the possibility of becoming the first coach to win three Copa del Rey trophies with Real Madrid, he said:

“Being close motivates players, me, the club. I’m more motivated in this sense. It’s an achievement to play in the final of any competition. The fact that we have a small advantage and our fans, it motivates us more.”

On the squad and players

Set to continue in goal. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Andriy Lunin has been the designated goalkeeper for Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey this season. And when asked if the Ukrainian will start in goal in the final should the team qualify, he said:

“It remains to be seen. Lunin can play, Courtois can play and if they are injured, Fran Gonzalez plays. And if we don’t reach the final, none of the three will play.”

On being asked if there were any concerns about Endrick’s future and whether he has a chance to play tomorrow, he noted:

“Who’s worried, I don’t know, I’m delighted with him. When I can I’ve given him minutes and he’s always taken advantage of it. Who’s worried? I don’t know. Tomorrow he may have a chance.”

Ancelotti was then asked what was stopping Endrick from getting regular minutes, apart from competition, and whether he would consider the youngster if the game went to penalty shootout.

“I would consider him. It depends on a lot of things. Beyond competition, he’s not lacking anything. It’s a problem of competition. Players who are of extreme quality,” said Ancelotti.

“I think the history of this club says that a lot of first-team players have been on the bench for a long time. Vinicius, a couple of years, Rodrygo, Valverde, Camavinga. If you want to be at Real Madrid it’s customary to warm the bench a bit.”

Talking about the contributions of Fran Garcia in recent games, Ancelotti said: “He’s contributing a lot.”

Meanwhile, providing an update on the possible returns of injured stars Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos, he added: “Mendy and Ceballos are trying to make the game against Arsenal.”

On whether he thinks Kylian Mbappe can be the best ever at Real Madrid after matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-season tally at the club, Ancelotti said:

“What I can advise Mbappe is to be able to achieve what Cristiano has achieved at Real Madrid. He has the opportunity. That means he would be a legend like Cristiano.”

Discussing the possibility of David Alaba starting tomorrow against Real Sociedad, he stated:

“Alaba is doing very well. He’s played for Austria. Putting him in two games every three days can be a risk. Tomorrow he has more chances. Those who didn’t start against Leganes have more chances for tomorrow’s eleven.”

The manager also spoke briefly about Real Madrid legend’s son, Enzo Alves, who made his Juvenil A debut this past weekend at the age of only 15.

“He has made a difference. I don’t know him very well. I know him because we took photos of each other when I was little,” said Ancelotti.

“I have a very nice memory with him in the 2014 final when I took a photo with Marcelo’s son and Xabi Alonso’s son. It’s perfect to take this photo now. The whole club is very excited about him. If he has the quality of his father, bingo!”

On Barcelona and Real Madrid’s style of play

Ancelotti was later asked if he ever felt bothered by comments that say Barcelona play well compared to Real Madrid, to which he replied:

“No, everyone has their own opinion and likes possession, the long ball, fighting for the second ball…. There are many facets and everyone can say what they like more or less.”

Going head-to-head in La Liga and potentially in Copa del Rey. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

On whether he also thinks that Barcelona play better than Real Madrid, Ancelotti explained:

“Barcelona play very nice football, Madrid play a different kind of football with a lot of quality. I love how Madrid play and how Barcelona play.

“You can compare using the same phase, but it’s difficult to compare the style of play of two teams because it depends a lot on the players. Madrid have different characteristics than Barcelona. You can say, Barcelona play very well and Madrid play very badly.

Continuing, he added: “I love the way Real Madrid play. I’ve loved it for three years now. There are seasons that are more complicated or less complicated. It changes. You don’t always have the same structure.

“The players change and that’s why it’s impossible to change such a defined identity. Whoever tries to have the same identity all the time, fails in the end.”

When asked why Real Madrid are facing problems to close matches, Ancelotti replied:

“Because the games are competitive. I’ve seen that we’ve been very effective up front. We are less solid than last year, but more effective up top. We’ve had some very important injuries at the back and we’ve lost our solidity.”

On whether he is thinking about expanding his coaching staff, the Real Madrid boss elaborated:

“I think it’s quite small. The coaching staff, I have two assistants, a group of analysts, the goalkeeping coach? We are thinking about it. The biggest problem with the calendar is not having time to prepare for the matches. That work on the field is much reduced.

“Expanding the coaching staff to maintain the same work on the field is not necessary. It could be expanded because there are a lot of young players and with them you can do more specific individual work.”

Finally, Ancelotti was asked about both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, the other two semi-finalists, having a day’s rest extra should they qualify for the finals, and whether he thought it was fair.

“I’ve looked, yes. Really, I haven’t contemplated it. If we don’t play, the problem is over. It’s not so important to have one day more or less. The most important thing is to have the minimum rest, which is three days,” he concluded.

Source: AS