Ancelotti: “It's a great feeling to reach the final'
'The atmosphere was great for Real Madrid and I want to thank the fans,' said the coach.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium following Real Madrid‘s victory over Al Ahly to secure their place in the Club World Cup final: "We controlled the match well for an hour, but then we thought it was done and it opened up. We then finished well. The team's improving and we did well today because it was a match where we had everything to lose and nothing to win. We controlled the game pretty well. It's a great feeling to reach the final."
"When it was 2-0 it looked like we‘d won the game and that's not the way football is. We slowed down and thought we'd won. We have to play well and remain focused until the final whistle. It was like that for 10 or 15 minutes until Modrić's penalty."
The final
“We're up against a team that won the semi-final by playing well and deserved to be in the final. We have to respect this team. They've got good players and play well collectively. They'll be excited to play in the final and so will we. We have to prepare well for the match, provide clear instructions to the players and devise a good game plan. We have players who can handle this type of pressure extremely well.”
“Football's changing because there’re a lot of teams all over the world that can compete, fight and win too. I was surprised that Flamengo were eliminated, but they're in pre-season and their fitness level isn't at its peak and the rest of the teams, who are in the middle of the season, are at their peak.”
Appreciation to home fans
“The atmosphere was great for Real Madrid and I want to thank the fans. It was a nice and fair game against a side that played well and gave it everything.”
"When it was 2-0 it looked like we‘d won the game and that's not the way football is. We slowed down and thought we'd won. We have to play well and remain focused until the final whistle. It was like that for 10 or 15 minutes until Modrić's penalty."
The final
“We're up against a team that won the semi-final by playing well and deserved to be in the final. We have to respect this team. They've got good players and play well collectively. They'll be excited to play in the final and so will we. We have to prepare well for the match, provide clear instructions to the players and devise a good game plan. We have players who can handle this type of pressure extremely well.”
“Football's changing because there’re a lot of teams all over the world that can compete, fight and win too. I was surprised that Flamengo were eliminated, but they're in pre-season and their fitness level isn't at its peak and the rest of the teams, who are in the middle of the season, are at their peak.”
Appreciation to home fans
“The atmosphere was great for Real Madrid and I want to thank the fans. It was a nice and fair game against a side that played well and gave it everything.”
Are Benzema and Militao travelling to Rabat?
"They’re not fully recovered. Karim is quite well but Militão is a bit more doubtful. They will train in the run-up to the game and then we will make decisions. Carvajal, who had a fever today, is back and Asensio, who has a slight strain from the Mallorca game."
Vini Jr.
"He likes to play football wherever he is. His game was very complete. He scored a fantastic goal and was always dangerous. He is the same Vini Jr. that you always see".
Praise for Valverde
"I'm happy because he played a good game. He has produced the goods, shown his quality and scored. Little by little he's coming back."
Penalties
"Sometimes you miss them. Luka has always done very well. We have to choose the best one to take it and I'm pretty sure who the best penalty takers are: Karim, Modrić and Asensio. It's very complicated to practice penalties because the environmental factor can't be replicated in a training session".
Arribas and the youth system
"It's very important for us. The youth system is a very important element and nobody here overlooks it. In the first team there are players of a very high level, who have won the Champions League, and it is not so easy to give minutes to youth team players. That said, there are very good players in the youth team and the coaches are doing a good job with them. They will soon be with the first team."
"They’re not fully recovered. Karim is quite well but Militão is a bit more doubtful. They will train in the run-up to the game and then we will make decisions. Carvajal, who had a fever today, is back and Asensio, who has a slight strain from the Mallorca game."
Vini Jr.
"He likes to play football wherever he is. His game was very complete. He scored a fantastic goal and was always dangerous. He is the same Vini Jr. that you always see".
Praise for Valverde
"I'm happy because he played a good game. He has produced the goods, shown his quality and scored. Little by little he's coming back."
Penalties
"Sometimes you miss them. Luka has always done very well. We have to choose the best one to take it and I'm pretty sure who the best penalty takers are: Karim, Modrić and Asensio. It's very complicated to practice penalties because the environmental factor can't be replicated in a training session".
Arribas and the youth system
"It's very important for us. The youth system is a very important element and nobody here overlooks it. In the first team there are players of a very high level, who have won the Champions League, and it is not so easy to give minutes to youth team players. That said, there are very good players in the youth team and the coaches are doing a good job with them. They will soon be with the first team."