Ancelotti: "It was an entertaining match and a great spectacle" | OneFootball

Carlo Anqcelotti spoke in the press room at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, giving his thoughts on the Clásico victory, which saw our team progress to the final of the Spanish Super Cup: "We were aware that it was going to be a very close encounter, and it turned out that way. We played well, particularly in the first half. In the second half we played very well on the counter-attack and in the end tiredness kicked in. It was an entertaining match and I think we put on a good show and gave a good account for Spanish football".

"Anyone could have won as two different styles of football came up against each other. They focused more on possession and we played on the counter-attack. We deserved to take the lead in the first half but the second half was more evenly matched. We defended deeper to take advantage of the counter-attack, which proved to be very effective. We found some quality moves on the counter and scored three fantastic goals".

Controlling the counter-attack "The low block is not particularly aesthetically pleasing, but it suits us due to the quality of the players we have up front, we need to make the most of it".

Praise for Modrić "He's got tremendous quality and it's very difficult to put him under pressure, yet it was Valverde who scored the goal that took us to the final. We have to take evaluate things now. When Modrić doesn't play, we lose possession, but when Valverde plays for us, we gain verticality and attacking ability". Carvajal’s impact on the side “He’s a very important player for us because of his defensive qualities and the strength of character he has. His character is very important for the team and he remains a very important part of this squad”.

Fatigue for the final? “We were really tired at the end and that’s normal. I hope we can recover for Sunday and that Alaba is available. It’s been a massive physical and mental drain, but we’re happy and that will help us in our recovery”.

The opposition in the final “I don’t care who the opposition is. I just care about winning the final and hope that it’ll be a great game”.

Barcelona “They played well. They are improving as a team and today they used players who have returned from injury like Pedri, Ferrán Torres and Ansu. Xavi is doing a great job and the team will get better”.

His chat with Piqué on the pitch "I said to him that they had to kick the ball out like we did in the first half. He said that they never kick it out and I apologised as I didn't know that".