January 23 News Real Madrid coach Ancelotti attended the match against Athletic Bilbao
post press conference
You mentioned the status of the team before. What do you think has changed from the last victory over Villarreal to today’s victory over Athletic Bilbao?
I think it is obvious today that the team’s defense is back, tighter and more stable. To be honest, after we took the lead, the team’s defense did a good job. This is also the key to changing the game today. We didn’t give the opponent anything.
Opportunity, and successfully won the victory.
Is Ceballos starting today a reward for his outstanding performance in the last game, or do you think he has the ability to start for Real Madrid?
Ceballos played very well today, the whole game was like this, and he also dared to take the ball, and his position was very accurate without the ball.
Of course, we don’t have an absolute starting lineup. Every player is irreplaceable, and Ceballos is the same. Although he didn’t play many games before, we need every player now. We hope that other injured players can also recover as soon as possible.
Regarding Benzema’s performance, he has scored 6 goals since the World Cup:
Yes, like I said, Benzema is back and his quality can be a huge help to our frontcourt and we are very happy with his performance.
Also, I would like to give a special mention to Camavinga, who played very well today.
Today you start with Asensio and Ceballos, Kroos and Modric as substitutes, isn’t it a little risky?
I don’t think it’s a risk, because at this time of the season we need more players to keep motivated, this is the most difficult moment, and the performance of Ceballos and Asensio in the last game deserves today’s opportunity, Kroos needs
Rest, of course Modric can play, but I also choose to let him substitute.
The team as a whole did a good job today, especially the defense was excellent.
Since the Super Bowl, the team has undergone tremendous changes. What do you think of this process?
I think on the whole, when we resisted the pressure, it was normal, because against Athletic Bilbao, or away from home, such a game is not easy.
But getting a goal early today helped us a lot. The team’s defense is very solid. On the whole, everyone is very focused and committed, which is not the case in previous games.
Today Vinicius once again had a conflict with his opponent in the away game. What do you think of this?
Why is Vinicius always so irritable now?
Vinicius is a very good player and a very sensitive person. I also told him to focus on the game.
For Vinicius, opponents, opponent fans, and even referees will put pressure on him, such as fouls and various actions.
Today the referee gave him a yellow card, but Vinicius also suffered a lot of fouls.
Of course, Vinicius will also adjust, but he is also very young, there is pressure on him around him, he wants to play, but there may be inattention in the game because he is still young.
I like Vinicius very much, and I hope everyone can respect Vinicius a little bit.
Regarding Vinicius, have you talked to him, such as “you play well, and I will help you with the rest”:
What I told him was “call me for something”, don’t quarrel by yourself.
That was the case today, I told him to keep calm and do your job.
In the 2016-17 season, Real Madrid had a plan A and a plan B. What about the current Real Madrid?
I don’t know what our plan A is now, what is our plan B, we need to adjust every week, Real Madrid’s plan is to win.