Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Joselu, Camavinga after Getafe 0-2 Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid went out all guns blazing against Getafe on Thursday night to win their game in hand 2-0 and seal the top spot in the league standings. The fixture against Jose Bordalas’ men was testing, but not out-of-reach for the men in white.

The first half from the Merengues was absolute domination as they opened the scoring through Joselu early and did not allow Getafe even one shot. The hosts pushed forward in attack in the second half and created some threat, but Joselu’s second goal killed off any hopes.

Speaking to the media after his team’s big win at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Carlo Ancelotti spoke on the highs and the lows of the night, saying,

“The referee has shown a yellow card that was wrong and has not whistled a penalty. I don’t want to talk about this, but about the game because we’ve been great. We are very happy.”

Speaking on the practical challenges of facing Jose Bordalas’ side and the tactical battle that ensued on the night, the Italian tactician revealed that it was far from easy for his side to control the game.

“Getafe put in a lot of centres. In the first part, Tchouameni has helped us in the aerial aspect. In the second half, Camavinga has also done his job and we have changed the system a little to control the bands. We lowered the block and getting ahead in the match has allowed us to play more in transition.”

Thursday’s result takes Real Madrid to the top of the league standings and in a strong position over top competitors Girona. Speaking on the situation on the league standings and the upcoming Madrid derby, Ancelotti said,

“If we won the next two games we would have six more points in the table and it would be good. But the season is long. Today the team has been plugged in from the first minute to the last. Now we are going to prepare for the derby.”

Los Blancos received a huge blow last night when the referee awarded Tchouameni his fifth yellow card of the season, thus ruling him out of the upcoming derby.

“I don’t know what happened, he took out the card and Tchouameni won’t be there for the game. Rüdiger has had a blow and we’ll see what happens in the next few days,” the manager commented on the same.

He also provided an update on Antonio Rudiger, the team’s leader in defence, who left the field injured during the half-time break.

“We have two days for him to recover. It’s a strong blow to the muscle. Rüdiger is a warrior and it’s difficult for him not to get to the game because of a little annoyance.”

The most striking feature of Real Madrid’s games over the years has been the fighting spirit they show on the field. The men in white seldom lack personality and character, and the manager highlighted the same in his press conference.

“We are very emotional and the team is motivated. We fought, fought and we managed this game very well, which was not very simple.”

“Getafe plays a football with many duels and aerial balls. We had a lot of presence on the field because we have very strong players,” he added.

Vinicius Jr was far from his best, yet completed the game with three shots on target and an assist. Explaining his decision to take the player off in the 75th minute, the manager said that it was in light of the hectic schedule ahead.

“I changed it because the game was ending and we were handling it well. I took the last few minutes away from him because he wasn’t so effective anymore. But he has had many opportunities in the transitions with Bellingham and Valverde. I also liked Luka’s game.”

“I told him that I was going to change him and he told me no. But we have another game ahead of us,” he added on Vinicius.

Ancelotti then gave his two cents on the yellow card that he was awarded and explained his side of the story about the incident.

“I told the referee that it was a penalty for Brahim and he took the card from me.”

The difference-maker on the night was Joselu who scored a stunning brace to gift his side the eventual two-goal cushion on the night. Ancelotti admitted that the Spaniard was taking big steps towards a permanent transfer and lauded his spirit.

“Joselu is doing everything necessary to stay. He’s doing spectacularly. It is a blessing to have a striker of this quality.”

“He is always ready from the beginning, also when he enters the games and always helps the team. He is a very humble person and we are delighted with him,” he added.

Towards the end of his press conference, the coach touched upon the topic of centre-backs and the relative lack of resources in the department, albeit with optimism.

“We have centrals because Tchouameni has done well today. We also have Rüdiger.”

Finally, Ancelotti gave his opinion on Luka Modric’s performance and what the Croatian brought to the field after two games on the bench.

“I see him very well and his match has been perfect. He has been the one who has best handled the possession. We had a lot of energy on the field, but he has controlled the tempo and has played a full game.”

Source: Real Madrid website