Ancelotti talks Mbappe, Valverde, Partey, Bernabeu, future ahead of Real Madrid vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Real Madrid will play their most important fixture of the ongoing season up to this point tomorrow when they host Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie, Los Blancos have been left with an insurmountable task on their hands.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti finds himself under intense pressure at the moment, with a loss and early exit from the competition likely to cost him his job at the end of the season.

Heading into the match, the Italian admitted that the push and support from the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu will be very important tomorrow.

“Obviously, it’s very important. The push from the fans has helped us a lot in recent years. Tomorrow we need a game at our maximum level to try to change a tie that is very complicated. Tomorrow we will try to change this thinking,” he said.

“We will try to play a serious game, with head, with heart… with balls, as Alcaraz says. On a mental level, we are very good. We have to have good control of the match.”

Continuing, he added: “We have the commitment, the experience, the players, the fans… the resources are there. Last year, nobody said we played spectacular football. We want to play effective football.”

On whether his future at the club depended on tomorrow’s result, Ancelotti replied: “I don’t think so.”

Shedding light on what his talk with the players has been like heading into the must-win match, the Italian remarked:

“I wanted to explain clearly to the players the strategy for the game. We’ve given it a lot of thought, we’re going to try something in training.

“I want the players to go on the pitch with a very clear idea. If the player is clear, he is able to give the best individual performance.”

Continuing about what he has spoken with his players about, he added: “I have spoken to them about the emotional aspect, about how we have to experience this match. The motivation is there, I want the player to be calm to prepare for it.

“The only thing we’re not sure of is that we can get this result, but it’s certain that we’ll get the best out of ourselves.”

When asked if he had any special tricks up his sleeve for the match, he said: “No, nothing special. We’ll try to play an intense game.”

On where Federico Valverde will play tomorrow, he stated: “I answer straight: I don’t know.”

Talking about Kylian Mbappe and how he was feeling after being sent off against Leganes in La Liga at the weekend, the manager said:

“He’s hurt, he’s disappointed about what happened. Yesterday he trained very well, very motivated. We need him, we don’t just have to defend, we have to score goals. More than ever, we need his goals tomorrow.”

Under pressure. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

On how he himself was feeling heading into the match, Ancelotti added: “A very cool head. I hope this is not the last game of this competition, which is very special.

“More than worrying, I feel excited to be the protagonist of these matches from the bench. This excitement allows me to keep a very cool head.”

Regarding the comments made by Thomas Partey about the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti commented:

“The Bernabeu has always helped us a lot and it’s going to help us a lot. It’s quite normal for a rival who comes to play at the Bernabeu. The pitch is always the same, the colour of the grass is the same. But it’s an atmosphere that pushes us on.”

Praising his opponents, the Real Madrid boss said: “I would say they are a very well organised team. They are not the most experienced, but they have a very clear idea both defensively and offensively.

“They are very focused on what they have to do. And they are more focused on that than on the atmosphere.”

With Real Madrid facing criticism for the fact that they covered much less distance than Arsenal did in the first leg, Ancelotti was asked if players who run more make a bigger difference. In response, he said:

“We need a bit of everything. A combination of the quality we have and also collective attitude. Neither of those things can go wrong.”

On how he and his team can turn the pessimism around the team into positivity, he added:

“With confidence, with the seriousness you have to have in difficult moments. In difficult moments you have to have more energy.”

On whether scoring early will hold the key tomorrow, Ancelotti said: “I don’t think it’s definitive. Of course, scoring early is important for the match.

“But the most important thing is to have a good control of the game and try to do our best from the beginning. When you have a good control of the game, you can score at any time.”

Source: AS