Ernesto Valverde, Manuel Pellegrini and Imanol Alguacil react Carlo Ancelotti’s 72-hour complaints | OneFootball

One of the talking points this week in Spain has been rest periods between games, after Carlo Ancelotti sparked a furious debate by commenting that Real Madrid would not play again if they did not have a minimum of 72 hours between games. La Liga President Javier Tebas wasted no time in criticising Ancelotti and Real Madrid, while the Spanish Player’s Union backed the idea.

Ancelotti was furious after Real Madrid’s game was scheduled on Saturday night rather than on Sunday after their game with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Los Colchoneros did get to play on Sunday against Barcelona. Los Blancos have played more times with less than three days of rest than Barcelona, but Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Athletic Club have done so on many more occasions due to their involvement in the Europa League or Conference League. Only playing on a Monday or on Sunday evening would avoid that being the case whenever there are European clashes.

For his part Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini had little sympathy for Ancelotti and his former club.

Image via TNT Sports

“Coaches don’t have the authority to say when we play and when we don’t. This is the 8th or 9th time this year we’ve played before 72 hours have passed and we haven’t complained. I think it could have been fairer and we could have played later, but I don’t think the rules are my job,” Pellegrini told Cadena SER.

“The truth is, there’s a lot of talk about rest periods; Thursdays take their toll on Sunday. But we played and pulled through without excuses. It was a strange first half, but in the second half, we had the football and the legs to turn the score around.”

Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil was much more sympathetic with his Italian counterpart.

“I think it was a moment of anger. But as a result of this barbarity that both Real Madrid and us have suffered, I think we’re the two teams that have played the most consecutive games, the most games with the least rest, I’d say we’re even more. It’s true that they’re not wrong because it’s very difficult to compete this way.”

Photo by ADAM VAUGHAN / Diario AS

“If Real Madrid are complaining, imagine what 19 games every three days at a maximum level of demand means for Real Madrid. We came into this today the way we did. Seven or eight absences and some on the bench who couldn’t be called upon,” Alguacil sympathised, as quoted by MD.

“I don’t know if [the ultimatum] is the most sensible thing to do now, when we already know the schedule we have. There’s time to talk. And whoever has to decide should try to make the best decision to prevent this from happening, but it’s crazy. It’s time to move forward, not make excuses.”

On the other hand, Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde said that there was no discoveries being made off the back of Ancelotti’s comments, merely that it was only an issue because it was him that said it.

Image via EFE

“Then there’s a few we shouldn’t have had to play. We play on Thursdays in Europe, usually at nine at night, and we finish at eleven. It’s not a 72-hour rest period. We played one day at nine and then on Sunday at two in the afternoon,” Valverde told Sport.

“You ask me that question because it’s Real Madrid. It happens regularly; it’s simply the impact it has because Real Madrid said it. It’s true that their game against Villarreal could have been today, but it depends on the television channels. La Liga has to resolve that. It’s happened to Real Sociedad, Betis, and us all season long.”

Real Madrid will play their next two games after the international break with less than 72 hours between them, as Los Blancos face Leganes at home in La Liga, and then host Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday. Tebas has claimed that this was by choice of the club though, who were offered an earlier slot, but wanted more time to recover from the international break.