Ready For The Yellow Submarine!

The team had their final training before they meet Villareal tomorrow.

Presser

FROM REALMADRID.COM

Ancelotti: “Villarreal are a top side, we will have to play very well”
by Javier Garcia | Photographer: Victor Carretero

“We have reached the most important stage of the season in good physical and mental shape”, added the Italian.

Carlo Ancelotti looked ahead to the Villarreal game in his pre-match press conference. The Whites’ coach praised the team’s upcoming opponents: “They are a team with a lot of quality, they play very good football, they are well organised and have good players. They’ve already beaten Atlético and played well against Barcelona. They are a top La Liga side. We need our strongest team out there and to play as best as we can in order to win”.

“When a team have a style and an attitude like theirs, it means the manager is doing a good job. I like Marcelino a lot, because of the way he conducts himself and speaks. They’ll put out a fresh starting line-up against us, so it will be a very intense game and we’ll have to fight even harder. The fact that he’s changing a lot of players doesn’t necessarily spell good news for us”.

The team’s fitness
“With Modric, Sergio and Khedira’s recoveries in mind, we have reached the most important stage of the season with the squad in good physical and mental shape. Modric is not in the squad. He had a good week working with the rest of the team. He’s almost ready but still has work to do. We are hoping to use him in the match against Schalke”.

Bale
“Bale has shown a great attitude in the last few games, fighting, winning and working for the team, just like all the players. He is going to continue working like that. We need Bale to always have that positive attitude”.

“If Isco’s available he’ll play, that’s non-negotiable.”

“He was lucky with that challenge the other day. A strong, hard challenge is something that can happen during a match. With that in mind, there is no need for us to lay blame on the player who committed the tackle. But luckily it was just a knock”.

Isco
“It’s difficult to decide on what the best position is for him. He has shown that he’s able to play in any position. He has also surprised us as a central midfielder, showing a good attitude towards his defensive duties and knowing where he has needed to be. We have to make the most of his attributes in attack, more so than in defence. He has shown a positive attitude and that is the key to his improvement. If he continues like this, his place will become undisputable. If he’s fit, he’ll play.

The team dinner
“It’s the same thing as always as far as I’m concerned. That is an issue for the players, not for me. They haven’t asked for my permission, I don’t see why a player would need to ask for permission to go out for dinner. It was a very nice dinner. When the players meet up like that it is great for the dressing room atmosphere and I’m happy they had this dinner. That’s all I have to say on the matter. They showed up to training on Friday, there weren’t any problems and everyone was happy”.

Rotations
“I’m not thinking about making rotations. We haven’t had a lot of games lately, the team are fresh, the players are training well and our aim is to put out the strongest team possible for each match. Before taking on Barcelona, there are three equally important games in which there will also be three points up for grabs. Coaches who don’t rotate, like me, are criticised as are those who do. I don’t know what I can do to avoid being criticised”.

Lucas Silva in Kroos’s position?
“Kroos is an extremely important player in his position. Lucas is not completely used to playing with us yet. Even so, he has shown intelligence and a great sense of positioning. He doesn’t come up with extraordinary pieces of play but he plays the ball simple, accurately and quickly”.

Marcelo
“He is in great form. He is playing consistently, is full of confidence and is well aware that he is an important player for the team. He has improved in defence and continues to provide quality in attack”.

The following players were called up for the match:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Keylor Navas and Pacheco.
Defenders: Varane, Pepe, Coentrão, Marcelo, Carvajal, Arbeloa and Nacho.
Midfielders: Kroos, Bale, Lucas Silva, Isco and Illarra.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Chicharito and Jesé.

– Lozil