Ancelotti: "The victory gives us confidence for the return leg"
"Rodrygo and Brahim worked hard and contributed a lot to help the team, which was quite organised and compact," said the Real Madrid coach.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and discussed Real Madrid ‘s victory in the first leg of the last-16 Champions League tie: "Today, the team ran a lot and worked hard, and two players made the difference: Rodrygo and Brahim. They were the best because they worked hard and contributed a lot to help the team, which was quite organised and compact. We didn't press too much, but that wasn't the idea. Atlético had control of the game at times and at other times we did. They didn't create many chances.”
"They're evenly matched games. It's a last-16 tie, but it could be a final or a semi-final. We're playing against a top team in Europe and you can't think about finishing the tie here. We've taken a small lead and we're satisfied with this small advantage. It gives us confidence for the second leg, but we believe it'll be tough in the return leg. We have to fight in the second leg.”
Praise for Valverde
“I have no words left for him. He made a tremendous effort. He was very tired, but that's all. He was happy to be back and he contributed enormously to the team.”
Brahim’s fine performance
“It's not certain that when Bellingham returns, he's going to go back to the bench. He's contributing a lot. He's not an undisputed starter, but he's an important player because he makes the most of every minute I give him. He was last year and he is this year. He's going to play when I put him on. When he scored, I spoke to him because Modrić was coming on and we wanted to make a tactical change to switch to a 4-5-1 defence. It was to brief him on this change. Then we put him back on the left.”
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The hard work by Vini Jr. and Mbappé
“Playing against Atlético's defence isn't easy. We didn't have many chances. They worked hard and fought. They didn't show the quality they have, but they have the return to do that. Defensively, they did well and when they get into a good position they allow the midfielders to be closer to the defence and help the defence.”
On starting Camavinga
“It was because he was fresh, as he was much better. He has a back problem and it's hard for him to be at 100%. He came on to provide fresh legs in the middle.”
Mbappé’s fitness
“He was fine, he had no physical problems. He hasn't been able to train much because his toothache didn't allow him to do so. Against Betis, he wasn't in the best condition and these minutes have been good for him to get him in the best condition for the next game.”
Taking advantage of set-pieces
“It's not that simple. Last year we were more effective because we had a fantastic taker in Kroos and a fantastic striker in Joselu. This year it's been more difficult. We're working on it to look for different plays. Even so, this year we scored goals with rehearsed moves. I remember a goal by Valverde from outside the area.”