Carlo Ancelotti appeared for the media the day before tomorrow’s La Liga match against Sevilla at the Bernabéu. When asked about comments by Blatter, FIFA’s president, in which he compared Messi with Cristiano Ronaldo and said that the Real Madrid forward "is a commander on the field" and also that "he spends more in the hairdresser’s than the other", the Whites’ coach said: "I know that our president has sent a letter to FIFA asking for them to rectify what I consider to be a disrespectful comment about a very serious and very professional player. I completely agree with my president. I have not spoken with Cristiano Ronaldo about this. He trained very well today, as always. He shows every day that he is a great player and he respects everyone. He should stay that way".
The Italian coach also spoke about tomorrow's match against Sevilla: "They haven’t lost in five league matches and are very well organised. We have to play with intensity from the first minute to the last. We have to try to do our best and keep improving our game". About whether there will be any rotations, he said: "Every match is important. You have to win and gain confidence. I like to have a motivated team in good physical condition. That is why rotating is good".
When asked if the football that Real Madrid are playing is close to what he wants, he said: "We are very close to the way of playing that we’re looking for. We didn’t keep things going for the whole match against Barcelona and if we had played the second half like the first it would have been a great match for us. You have to play every minute at the same intensity". About the team’s fitness, he said: "We are fine. In the second half we controlled the match and played with intensity. We are in good physical form and the aim of playing 90 minutes at a high intensity is closer because, physically, we can do it".
About Xabi Alonso and his return to action, he said: "He is available. He is training with the team and I think he might start on the bench tomorrow and I’ll try to give him some pitch time. Whether he plays depends on confidence. He has the quality to help the team to play better. He has experience, passes well and has a good defensive attitude. He is a very important player for us". When asked about the possibility of him being picked for Spain in the next international break, he was emphatic: "He just needs to play and it would not be bad for him to play matches with the national team".
In reference to Illarra and whether he may share the midfield with Xabi Alonso, he said: "Illarra played well against Barcelona because he pressed hard and recovered a lot of balls. He cleared the ball well and has the same characteristics as Xabi Alonso. Alonso's presence could help him to improve, but will be hard for them to play together in our 4-3-3 system".
Ancelotti also praised Pepe, Varane and Ramos and their importance to the team: "I have three very good centre-backs and they give me confidence, but only two can play. Rotation is good for everyone. Tomorrow one of the three can rest because we have a match on Saturday". About the decision to play the Spanish international in midfield against Barcelona, he said: "The decision was made on the day of the match. I spoke with the player and we made that decision".
Isco and Bale were also players that the Italian was asked about. Regarding the first, he said: "He started the season well, scoring goals and playing well. His problem is that he has not had a holiday and was tired. I've given him chance to recover and he may play tomorrow". About the Welshman and his playing position, he said: "In the match against Barcelona he could have changed positions with Di Maria. His natural position is on the right and that is where he will play".
When asked about the criticism that he has received, Ancelotti said: "I have only thought about the good criticism, not the bad. Only the constructive criticism. It is not clear for fans how we are trying to play because we have not always played good football, but I think our way of playing will become clearer in the future".
Finally, in reference to the six points that they are behind Barcelona in the league and Alves’ comments, who said their rivals for the title are Atlético, he said: "These comments are a huge motivation for everyone. The season is long and we hope to recover the six points".
roud: has been called up and I hope to see him get minutes in the second half. I'm sure the SB will erupt when he's subbed in.
