Ancelotti talks Mbappe, Vinicius, Carvajal, Neymar, Real Madrid – ‘The only team I could coach after Brazil’ | OneFootball

Even though his last season at the club might not have been the most successful one, Carlo Ancelotti achieved great things at Real Madrid across his two stints as manager.

The Italian tactician has time and again professed his love and admiration for the club and has now once again revealed the affection he still holds for the club during an interview with France Football.

Ancelotti open to Real Madrid return

Indeed, when asked if the Brazil national team will be his last coaching job, Ancelotti stated: “The only team I could coach after Brazil would be Real Madrid.”

Continuing, he added: “No, I don’t think that will happen. Well, I have a one-year contract here. After that, anything can happen. I can stay for two more years. Or four more years. Prepare for another World Cup.

“I signed for one year because I think it was the right thing to do with regards to the next tournament. But I’m very happy here.”

Regarding his final season with Los Blancos, which ended without any major trophies, Ancelotti highlighted the injuries to key players were a major issue.

“It was complicated. We didn’t achieve the success we wanted. We also had too many injuries in defense, and it was difficult to put together a solid team and support the offensive quality we had,” he said.

“Militao, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy, Dani Carvajal… There are many important players. There were games where we only had two defenders in our lineup, and one of them, Raúl Asencio, had just come from the youth team, although he did well.”

On Vinicius and Neymar

Having worked with Vinicius Jr. at Real Madrid, Ancelotti now gets to coach him with Brazil, although he did leave the winger out of the squad for the recent international break.

When asked if it is easy to coach the 24-year-old superstar, the Italian explained: “Of course. I have a fantastic relationship with Vini; he does what I ask. I’ve never had any problems with him.

“But with a national team, in the end, you don’t have to deal with those issues so often. If a player isn’t happy with his role, no problem, I’ll call someone else. I no longer have the obligation I had at a club to manage a player for an entire season.”

Along with Vinicius, Ancelotti also left out another big name, Neymar, from the Brazil squad for their latest fixtures. Explaining the decision, he said:

“A national team must bring together the most talented players. That’s obvious, right? But a talented player must also be in good physical shape. He must be at 100%, not 80%.

Neymar is improving his condition. He’s undoubtedly the most talented Brazilian player. He had a small physical problem and recovered quite quickly. But I want him to be really well so he can play.

“He’ll be able to participate in the World Cup if he’s in good physical shape. From a technical point of view, there’s no discussion. His goal must be to be ready in June. It doesn’t matter whether or not he’s on the squad in October, November, or March.”

On Mbappe and his role

Ancelotti and Mbappe at Real Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The chat then moved on to Neymar’s former PSG teammate and Real Madrid’s current No. 10 Kylian Mbappe, who was signed last year and played a season under Ancelotti.

On whether coaching the French superstar was easy, he replied: “Very easy. In one year, Mbappe never asked me for anything, not to take penalties, not to play, not to not play, not to take free kicks… Nothing.

“He always behaved very well, with great humility. And he had a very high season on a personal level, with 44 goals. I think his second season will be better because he’s adapted and his teammates know him well.”

On whether Ancelotti believes that deploying Mbappe as the centre-forward was the best decision, he elaborated:

“For me, Mbappe is a centre-forward. That’s where he best expresses his qualities. He’s fast, technical, skillful, capable of making lightning combinations in tight spaces. That’s why he should be close to goal.

“On the wing, he’d have the same qualities, of course, but I think he’d score less. The intensity of football has increased in recent seasons, and the physical demands on those who play on the wing are much greater than a few years ago.

“More and more effort is required of those who play on the wings. For Mbappe, it’s better to be up front.”

Continuing, he added: “I think the signing of Mbappe was a very good thing. After the departure of Benzema, Real Madrid signed Joselu, who was good when he played. But a club like Real Madrid needs a centre-forward like Mbappe. Like Benzema. Like Butragueno. A Real Madrid centre-forward.”

“I insist, but at the start of last season, no one imagined we would lose such essential players as Carvajal for so long. You can replace him from a technical point of view, yes. But you can never replace what he represents in the locker room.”

Talking about whether it is hard to get Mbappe to defend while on the pitch, the Brazil boss replied: “It’s not that he doesn’t like defending. It’s that a player with his characteristics is asked, above all, to score.”