‎”I have a lot of confidence in the players, they are aware of the difficulties.”‎

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press at Real Madrid City the day before the LaLiga matchday 13 clash with Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu (Saturday, 2:00pm CET). The coach said: “Osasuna is in very good shape, he is in a good position in the competition standings, he plays well and has outstanding dynamics. We see it as a good opportunity to do things well again, get through the difficult moment and that’s normal. We haven’t played our best version lately and tomorrow we have a new chance to regain the winning tone”.

“We’ve spoken and tried to assess the situation with the players, and we think we’ve found the solution. Obviously, this is theoretical, and we’ll see the practical side tomorrow. When we’re going to play differently from the last games. I see the team united, motivated and aware that we have figured out the solution, but we have to wait until tomorrow to see if we can do it in the right way.”

Do you feel empowered to move forward?
“Yes, not just me. We are all going through a difficult moment, not only me, but also the club and all the staff. We are still a very united family, we have a very clear idea, we help each other, and I have great confidence in the players, who are aware of the difficulties. These are moments that always happen in football. It’s an opportunity to move forward and be stronger in the future.”

“We think we’ve found the solution, but it’s theoretical, and we’ll see the app tomorrow. This is not the best place to talk about the problems we face because everyone has their opinion. We have to face the reality, which is that we have lost in the last few games and we have to take a different path. We believe we have figured out the solution and will see it implemented tomorrow.”

Mbappe not being called up to the French
national team”I haven’t spoken to him about it and I won’t. It’s up to the coach and it’s not my right to judge his decisions. This decision has been made and we have to accept it. I don’t allow myself to judge this kind of decision. Mbappe is fine, excited, sad like the others, but excited to move on and get through this moment.”

Do you regret staying?
“That’s funny. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to laugh, but this is not the time to laugh because it is a delicate moment and we have to move on. It’s time to think and act. I don’t regret anything. I try to have fun and do it every day I spend in Baldebebas and I will do it until the last day. Very grateful for the time I am spent, and will spend here. It’s a difficult moment, but I’m happy to spend it here, at the best club in the world, the best to move forward and get through difficult moments quickly. Difficult moments are normal in football and will always happen”.

Bellingham
Centre: “I can give you an idea, but this is not the time to talk about it. I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve talked about in recent days in tomorrow’s game. It’s not an offensive problem, nor a problem of positioning, strategy or positioning of players. It’s a defensive problem, not an attacking one.”

Vinnie Jr.”I didn’t want to change the position of the player who makes the difference. Sometimes Mbappe’s position is changed in a game and I don’t want to change that. It’s not an offensive problem, it’s defensive.”

Valverde
: “I see him in serious shape and ready to play tomorrow. He’s trained as well as everyone else has done over the last couple of days to prepare for the game. I didn’t say he had a back problem, and the club never said that. He had a back problem during the week but he recovered, he’s in good condition and we’ll count on him.”

How do you accept losing a match now?
“I enjoy every day, also the difficult moments because I see the players united and trying to give the best, I have the support of the whole club and the support of the players. On a personal level, I spent long nights thinking a lot about it and looking for solutions. After that, you share your thoughts with the players and with the club and the nights become a little shorter. We have a game tomorrow and that drives positive things, enthusiasm and motivation to see if we can achieve the development we are looking for.”

Indrick
“He’s ready to play. It performs great and shows great quality in workouts. I can say the same about Arda, they are very young and strong. Can the collective idea of moving forward as quickly as possible be applied with Indrick? Yes, I think so, but the idea is to go fast, not to give minutes to these players. The idea can be implemented with Arda, yes, definitely, because he’s in very good shape, and so is Indrick.”

The status of the players?
“We think he can get past this moment with a different performance. After speaking, practical steps must be taken. I can talk, but we have to take practical steps after that and that’s what the players have to do too. Practical steps are the most important. The performance we will put in tomorrow and our behaviour on the pitch will always remain in the minds of our fans”.

What does the team need to create optimal defensive intensity?
“Sacrifice, focus and teamwork. I’ve repeated it a few times, but that’s in a nutshell: sacrificing to be an intense team; focusing to take the right position and the right decision on the defensive side; teamwork, because we defended superbly on a collective level last year. It doesn’t matter if the pressure is strong, the key is a team that is fully engaged in defensive work. The important thing is intense teamwork.”

Is it good that Mbappe does not feature for his national team and what does he need to score goals?
“He’s training well. He’s going through a tough moment like everyone in the team. Each of us must see it as an opportunity, and when the difficult moment comes, it must be overcome quickly with focus, motivation and solid attitude. This is how problems are handled. The problem we face today is the problem of each of us, which is that we are unable to deliver our best version. We try to live through this difficult moment as a great opportunity to be better in the next game, the next day and in the future. I’m convinced we’ll move forward.”

“It’s a difficult moment for everyone. I’m not talking about Mbappe alone, I can talk the same way about Vinicius,Rodrygo,Bellingham and everyone, and about me too. This is normal. It’s a difficult moment, not something strange. It’s normal in football, a sport where everyone can lose. We are not used to because things have been perfect for a long time. Now we are living a bad moment. Well, we accept that, but we can’t give up, we have to be braver more than ever. I’m convinced that we will achieve it, because it is a great, strong, healthy and struggling team at a big club, the best in the world. It’s the best place to live and move forward, because we’re all in the same boat, the club, the players and me. We are aware of that and we are more united than ever.”

Have you changed your mind regarding deals?
“This is not the time for deals, and think about them. Because that means not evaluating the problem we have. “We can’t make deals now and it’s an issue we’ll discuss in the coming months.”

Doubts?
“I’m not skeptical, I’m looking at reality. I’ve said many times that I’m convinced we’re going to give our best version tomorrow and today I’m saying we’re going to see tomorrow. I am convinced that we will apply what we talked about. I think the problem has been discovered and it’s very obvious, but I want to see the team tomorrow.”

How do you see the future?
“I think that, with this problem that we are facing, it can be a successful season and we will fight for all the titles in all competitions. That’s how I see the future and it will be like this. In January we have the possibility of winning the Club World Cup. We will compete in the league andthe Champions League, as we always do”.