“I have changed, I am more elastic. Before it was very difficult for him to change the system and strategy during a game. Now the game and the footballers have evolved”. Carlo Ancelotti has spent a lifetime in the elite, but he never stops learning. The Real Madrid coach, talking to the ‘Corriere dello Sport’explained how and why football (and his work) have changed in recent seasons, commenting on the current situation of the World Cup, where his players continue to be protagonists: “It’s over being a fundamentalist. In the same game you can defend with three, go to 4-4-2, 4-5-1. The rival and the development of the match cannot be underestimated”.
Christian: “I didn’t see the Portugal game, I was eating a pizza with my grandchildren. Have they left him on the bench? And what happens? In football everything is possible. He, perhaps, feels that he is still 20 years old because of how he has taken care of his body, but there is great competition in his selection. I never had a problem with him. What’s more, he fixed mine. Can a guy who scores one goal per game be a problem? It was very easy to manage, for me.”
Spain: “Here is a huge disappointment. There were other expectations, although the team is young. It’s not a good time for Luis Enrique: they already criticized him before the last game, imagine now”.
Tiki-taka against Morocco: “I’m not ashamed to stay behind and look for the counter, even though I have quality players. With people like Vinicius and Mbappé, if once the ball is stolen you don’t look for the vertical pass, you are a criminal (laughs). Mourinho is the greatest among all of us, and he said that he won many games with defense and counterattack”.
Richarlison: “He is a modern striker, not very sharp with his feet, but he has fantastic times and is very coordinated. He is among the best. We are in a transition phase: we are running out of Ibra, Ronaldo, Suárez, Cavani… Messi and Benzema are 35, Lewandowski will be next year. The new ones are Mbappé, Richarlison, Haaland, Álvarez and Núñez. I didn’t know Gonçalo Ramos”.
Vinicius: “He is more sure of himself and the team notices that. He and Mbappé have something out of the ordinary: those who see them in person find it hard to believe that a footballer can be so explosive. Brazil is the most complete team, but England against France makes me curious”.
Benzema: “Come back on Saturday and we’ll get it ready.”
Maradona or Messi: “What kind of question is this? I played against Diego and, out of love, I chose him”.
