Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has blamed his players for the cluba s consecutive defeats but believes that the squad is ready to script another winning streak, starting against Espanyol on Saturday.
Real Madrid suffered at the hands of Valencia and then went on to lose another Madrid derby after Diego Simeonea s men beat Ronaldo and co by two goals in the first leg of the Copa del Rey tie. Following their 22 game winning streak, Real Madrid have been given a harsh reality check as they prepare for their game against Espanyol. However manager Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear that the blame for the two defeats lie solely with the squad. The manager defended their physical condition and believes that the squad is not mentally prepared following the Winter Break.
“We have data to support the fact that our players’ physical condition is good. I think we are not being able to find our pace and intensity after the Christmas break, but this is something we will solve. It is normal that our players’ minds are not totally focused just yet, after such a long winning streak and the holidays, but we want to win again and start a new streak.”
The Italian also shed light on Real Madrida s transfer targets for the Winter transfer window and has revealed that the club will only sign players if Modric and Khedira remain unavailable for selection.
“As we said, we needed to evaluate the recovery process of Khedira and Modric before signing Silva or anyone like him. With Khedira on the team and Modric soon to be ready, we don’t need any other midfielder.”
According to reports, Madrid are on the verge of signing wonder-kid Odegaardbut but Carlo Ancelotti admitted that a final decision hasna t been taken regarding the transfer.
“Odegaard trained with us and we have been able to check that he has a great talent, but we have not made any decision yet.”
Speaking about Sergio Ramos who shook the Spanish capital with his comments following the penalty that was awarded against him, Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Ramos is yet to recover completely from his injury and that he will be rested for the weekend clash.
“Ramos will not play tomorrow, just like Pepe did not play against Atl tico. He had an injury during the Club World Cup and making him play too much could be dangerous. We want to avoid this risk, but he will be back against Atl tico on Thursday.”
The manager also spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo who was rested against Atletico Madrid and said that the Portuguese was dropped due to fatigue.
“I speak to all my players before every game and we always decide what we think is best for the team. Before the last game against Atl tico, Ronaldo was feeling a bit tired and that’s why we decided to leave him on the bench, but he is perfect now and will play tomorrow.”
It now remains to be seen if Carlo Ancelottia s men can ease the pressure on the club and get back to their winning ways as they face Espanyol at Santiago Bernabeu.