‘Our biggest strength…’ – Real Madrid phenom credits Ancelotti after hard-fought win vs Man City | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham may not have been at his best during Real Madrid’s win over Manchester City last night, but he was a critical part of the team’s dynamics who did not do much wrong.

In 120 minutes last night, the Golden Boy winner completed 94% of his passes, won ten duels and recorded five tackles. More importantly, he scored a vital penalty for Los Blancos in the shootout.

Barring his recent and relative slump in form, the season has been special for the former Borussia Dortmund star who has broken records for fun. Los Blancos will need him to recover his best version, but it is clearly not too far away.

Speaking to TNT Sports via GOAL after the game, Bellingham commented on Real Madrid’s keys to success and how they manoeuvred past Pep Guardiola’s men in the semifinal.

“It’s relief. We put so much into the game. I’ve played against City before, and when you’re close and you think you’re going to get something and then they snatch it away. I’m dead on my feet at the end of the game so it’s a massive reward,” he began.

“It’s so difficult to keep focus, they move you around and put you in positions you don’t want to be in. Most teams would fall apart when City get on top but we stood up really well and worked hard,” he added, praising his team for their resilience.

The Golden Boy also went on to praise the coach, Carlo Ancelotti, for his ability to make tactical adjustments without affecting players’ freedom.

“We had some different roles tonight in the team but there are adjustments and sacrifices to your own game you have to make. Our biggest strength is [Ancelotti] finds a way to let the boys play with freedom,” he said.

“Other teams are structured with their patterns of play but we’re so off the cuff at times. I caught him yawning before the game and he said ‘You need to go and excite me’! That’s the calmness he brings,” he added on the Italian gaffer.

Bellingham credits Ancelotti for Man City win. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

The midfielder then spoke at length about Real Madrid’s mentality and the ability to come back stronger when knocked down, a quality that made them the best in the business.

“You’ve got to see [the Real shirt] as a responsibility, not a pressure. You have to be willing to be under the scrutiny and spotlight. If you’re here it means you can handle it so trust the process.”

“It’s incredible [to knock out the holders]. Today it’s come down to mentality, to running, to track [players]…you get that right and then the moments like the lads keeping their heads in penalties, it’s a mix of that,” he added.

The youngster, who has enjoyed a stunning start to life in Madrid, then opened up on his decision to join the Merengues and how it was paying off great dividends.

“I could never dream of it, not just the goals but the feeling of playing for the club every day – the badge on your chest every day is amazing and hopefully there are more nights like this.”

Finally, Bellingham gave his two cents on the upcoming clash against Bayern Munich in the UCL semifinal, saying,

“We’ve got nothing to be worried about with Bayern but we respect them and we’ll approach it the same as today.”