Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at the Cívitas Metropolitano to discuss the The League matchday eight clash between Atlético and Real Madrid: “I always think positively. Not negative. Given what happened here last year, it could be a good point for the future. We’ve also cut a point from the league leaders and we’re in a good run of form with all the games we’re playing. We’re now focusing on Wednesday’s game”.
“This draw is quite different because we were so close to winning it, but what happened can happen because the opponents are strong, they have resources and a lot of quality. It’s a pity that it came in the last few minutes. We did very well when we took the lead, controlling the game. We came very close. We kept fighting. We’re not despairing about that. A draw here is a possibility”.
Is the draw fair?
“Both sides controlled the game. It could happen and the objective for us was to defend better than last year and we did that. We could have had more speed on the ball, but you have to remember that we play a lot and the tempo can’t always be at full throttle in every game”.
Atlético’s stoppage time equaliser
“When you’re ahead with five minutes to go there’s only one thing you need to do: defend. We did that and we did it very well for most of the game, but it was a very good move, a perfect through ball and they scored a goal”
The suspension of the match
“It was the right thing for the referee to do. We had to stop the game for 10 minutes. We changed a few things in the dressing room and we started again. Nobody liked this stoppage, but the referee was right”.
“I don’t think the team switched off because of the stoppage. It affected both teams the same. They threw the lighter and the game was stopped twice. The referee told us to rest for ten minutes and after that, we’ll start again”.
Should Atletico be punished?
“I’m only a coach and I just have to be in control of my team’s sporting performance. This is a different matter and people more experienced than me will make the right decisions”.
The substitutions
“I have no regrets. Those changes were only because the players were tired”.
Tchouameni and Camavinga
“Camavinga is fine, but he’s had a 40-day injury and it wasn’t right for him to be in a committed and hard-fought game. His chances of playing on Wednesday are good. Tchouameni did well. He had a good presence on the ball and defensively he was good”.
The swapping of positions between the centre-backs
“They did well against Alavés, but in the second half, I changed them because Military was a bit more uncomfortable on a couple of occasions when playing out. That’s why we went back to the original setup”.
Courtois and Fran García’s injuries
“Fran Garcia ‘s injury was a bad blow, but it was a blow. Courtois has a muscular problem and he’ll be assessed tomorrow”.
The move in which Endrick came close to scoring
“It wasn’t as clear a chance as the one against Stuttgart. He could have passed the ball to Bellinghambut I don’t consider it to be a drama”.
