Ancelotti talks Mbappe, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Camavinga, Endrick ahead of Real Madrid vs Espanyol | OneFootball

After starting their UEFA Champions League campaign with a win over VfB Stuttgart, Real Madrid will return to La Liga action tomorrow when they host newly-promoted RCD Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have not made the best of starts to their La Liga campaign and are already four points behind arch-rivals Barcelona after five games.

As such, Carlo Ancelotti & co. are aware that they cannot afford any more slip-ups this early in the season and will be eager to get all three points against Espanyol.

On the eve of the match, the Real Madrid manager spoke to the media in his customary press conference, discussing several matters, including the possible rotations as well as the fixture schedule.

On the squad

Kicking things off, Ancelotti was cryptic when asked about his plans to rotate his players against Espanyol, saying: “Tomorrow might be a good day, but today is not the time to say it.”

There has been talk about Endrick getting his first start for Real Madrid tomorrow or next week against Alaves. Ancelotti, though, kept his cards close to his chest and did not give anything away, saying:

“He will be a starter in one of the next few games and in many of Madrid’s games. With the quality he has, it’s obvious. He is very humble, talks little and works a lot. I like that.”

Earlier in the week, reports emerged claiming that Ancelotti was considering reverting to the four-man midfield tactic he used last season to gain more balance and control in midfield.

On being asked about the plan, Ancelotti replied: “It’s difficult to say, but balance is a collective thing that you can do with two strikers or three. The Champions League in Paris was with three strikers, but a perfect balance.

“Having one more midfielder doesn’t mean more balance. You can do it with three or four strikers. Now the debate can be: What is Bellingham? Forward, midfielder… Balance can come through collective work. We are going to have it, no doubt.”

A change in formation on the cards? (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Answering a question about how he intends to achieve balance in this team, the Real Madrid boss explained:

“The aim of the team is to be compact. If Vinicius, Kylian and Rodrygo press and the midfielders don’t get forward, it’s not Vinicius and Mbappe’s problem. To be compact, we have to bring the lines closer together. That’s all.

“I understand you, your thinking. That the lack of balance is because Vinicius, Mbappe and Rodrygo don’t work. It’s not like that. I don’t ask them to do the work of the midfielders and defenders.

“If I want to defend I don’t put them in, I put three defenders in. Unfortunately, there is work with and without the ball and we have to find the balance there.”

Ancelotti also issued a positive update on the fitness condition of Eduardo Camavinga, saying:

“Camavinga is very close. He will work with the team next week and he is working very well. He is very important for us. It allows us to have more resources and he will bring a lot to the team.”

On the fixture schedule

The overload of matches has become a major topic of discussion with players even considering going on a strike against the issue.

Amidst all this, it has been suggested that reducing player salaries could be one way to get the fixture calendar under control and Ancelotti was asked for his views on the matter.

“Football needs to reflect. If this, the lowering of fixtures, comes about by lowering the salary…. The aim is to play less. If the players play less, they have no problem in lowering the salary,” he remarked.

With there still being some doubts about the plans for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup, Ancelotti was asked about the tournaments, to which he said:

“It is not clear yet. We play what we are asked to play. We are not focused on this. We’ve just come from the Champions League, now La Liga. Until December we have a lot to think about.”

On being quizzed if the changes in the calendar can be achieved, he said: “This season is not going to change. The important thing is to reflect on this.

“The bodies, UEFA, FIFA, realise that the players are getting tired. That is the objective. The calendar this season will not change. The players are thinking about changing the future of football.”

On the team form

Real Madrid beat Stuttgart this week. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

On the agenda that rivals have saying ‘Real Madrid won but did not deserve’, Ancelotti opined saying:

“It doesn’t bother me. The fans are delighted. You can play better, but the fans are used to ‘rock and roll’ football. Not a lot of touches. We try to make the fans of Madrid happy. The ideal would be to win and play well.

“For me, against Stuttgart, sometimes we made fantastic plays.”

On asked to describe the ‘rock and roll’ football he spoke about, Ancelotti said: “Intensity, pace… Without wasting too much time getting to the opponent’s goal. These are our characteristics.

“We have players with a lot of strength, especially on the ball, and we have to take advantage of that. We’re not at our best and that’s normal. We improve when the season starts to get into the important things. For the moment we’re at, we’re fine.”

When asked if the upcoming games were ideal for Real Madrid to close the gap to Barcelona, Ancelotti replied:

“Apart from the calendar, what is conducive is to play well and arrive well on Tuesday. Seeing that the team is improving, that they have a good dynamic… That’s favourable. After that, the season is very long. It’s not the time to think about our rivals.”

On being asked once again if he was planning on reverting to last season’s tactical scheme, Ancelotti said:

“It’s something we are evaluating. They created a lot of chances for us. Against Stuttgart, we failed to get out from the back. A bit like what happened to Barça yesterday, which cost them a sending-off.

“Against Real we also failed to come out, twice. They created chances because we failed with the ball, not because we didn’t have defensive balance in the transitions. It’s because we failed with the ball.”

“To avoid this, we have to get the ball further up the pitch as soon as possible. Sometimes a long ball is the solution to avoid problems.”

Source: AS