Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room of the Estadio Municipal de Butarque and analyzed the victory of Real Madrid against Leganés on matchday 14 Liga: “It was a good game from start to finish. The team played solidly and with concentration. We varied the positions of the two strikers a little: Mbappé on the outside and Vini Jr. in the middle. They did that well. Vini Jr. set up the goal for him. We confirmed the positive feeling of Pamplona today. We played much more compactly and focused. Things are going well.”
“Leganés varies his system a lot. They didn’t surprise us. They are a courageous team and things are always difficult for them, but we had a lot of possession and good chances to score.”
Mbappé’s performance
“He is more used to playing on the left side. Playing on the outside is more tiring than playing on the inside position. Vini Jr. returned from an international match on Thursday and Mbappé was more active than Vini Jr. He scored a goal after a fantastic assist from Vini Jr. Both are getting better little by little.”
The return of Lucas and Tchouameni
“We don’t know yet. We’ll try to get both of them fit again by Wednesday. My players worked very well in defense. Asencio had a very serious game and played very well. I liked him very much. Valverde is a fantastic full-back. The best in the world behind Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez. He can play so well in many positions and the problem is deciding which one he plays best. We will see if Lucas and Tchouameni are fit again by Wednesday and then we will make a decision.”
Valverde as a right-back at Anfield?
“I still have to think about his position for the next game. We are well staffed in midfield because Camavinga is in top form. Ceballos played a strong game and Modric always does his job very well. I will make a decision once I have the full squad available and whether we can get someone back for Wednesday.”
The performances of Ceballos and Arda Güler
“They all do their part. Ceballos contributed a lot and Arda also, with creativity and goal-scoring ability. He played a complete game. At the moment they are the players we can count on because the games are very demanding and we need them all.”
Asencio
“He is a player who plays with maturity. He shows no fear and is always very well positioned on the pitch. This means that the youth academy has done a very good job with him.”
The substitution of Mendy
“These are technical decisions and nothing else. Fran is doing its job very well, but Mendy will be very important for Wednesday’s game.”
Senegal
