Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that his team was the only representative of Spain in the price of the Champions League final, “just a difficult period”
“I will not sleep well if I get out of the Champions League, and the exclusion of Spanish clubs is a bad time for the game here, but they have not lost their place,” Ancelotti said in a press conference today, Tuesday, before facing Celtic in the conclusion of the group stage.
He added, “It is possible that a Spanish team will win the European League and another will win the Champions League, because Spanish football is able to compete on the continent
He stressed: “We learned from our mistakes, and we did not have enough focus against Girona, where we lacked the advantage of recovering the ball well, and against Leipzig we did not focus on defensive support to stop the counter-attacks
On facing Celtic, he said, “It’s an important match, and our goal is to take the lead and we have a chance. Celtic is a good team and we want to show our best level against it
From the stands .. a crazy celebration for Conte after the deadly European goal
He added, “Celtic will not change its identity, and it will be an open match and we want to restore the best version of us tomorrow, and Celtic could have performed better in the group
He continued, “Shakhtar performed very well, and they have options to qualify for the round of 16, and if they do not qualify, they will compete very well in the European League
He added: “Chwamini will not be available tomorrow, and Benzema will be on the list if he has a good feeling, and if he is, I will decide how long he will play, now he will train and we will see
And he added: “Benzema did not play against Girona because he was not well, and he suffered an injury, and he is not a child, he is 34 years old, and he takes care of himself, but he must be careful
Regarding the controversy over his statements regarding the referees of the last Girona meeting in La Liga, he commented: “I was sued because I said that the penalty kick in front of Girona was invented, what I mean, according to the prevailing in Italy, that it is incorrect, and I did not speak in bad faith, or accuse the referee of anything
And the Real coach added: “I attended 1,200 matches. If I miss 4 matches, nothing will happen. It was enough to say that it was a mistake
And he stated: “If they change the rule, they should say so, but the rule has not changed. No one is infallible
Ancelotti lamented the trajectory of football’s development since the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, criticizing the excessive role of video refereeing
In this regard, the Italian coach said: “The VAR technique was a good invention, but sometimes it plays a bigger role than the referee, who must remain the champion
He added: “A mistake can happen with Real Madrid and with other clubs, but the important thing is clarity and not the penalty kick, it is something different and they have to clarify the matter
“It’s not a Real Madrid or Girona issue, it’s about football and it’s not clear. If they tell us it’s a penalty, we have to go back to the beginning of the season and explain the rule that I understand very well. They told us that such mistakes are not punishable by a penalty,” he said
And about the expected punishment against him, he replied: “I still sleep at night, and I want to make it clear that I did not disrespect anyone, which is something everyone has seen, and if I am suspended, I will be patient
