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Photo by CARLO HERMANN/AFP via Getty Images
After the conclusion of the international break, Real Madrid will continue their chase of the La Liga championship on Sunday when they travel to Nuevo Mirandilla to take on Cadiz.
The Merengues took a commanding 5-1 victory against Valencia into the international break, but when they returned, they had a growing list of injury concerns to deal with.
In addition to losing Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr. until the early stages of 2024, Los Blancos will be without Thibaut Courtois, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, and Eder Militao. Kepa Arrizabalaga has also been ruled out of the match.
Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, made an appearance at his pre-match news conference and, among other things, addressed the injury issues that have plagued his club.
Injuries and the schedule of upcoming matches
“The reality is that we have been injured, and those injuries have caused us pain. The group is in good shape. Despite the absences, I believe that we have always been a competitive team. The Italian began by saying, “We go into it with the utmost confidence in the world, and we hope that the injured players recover as quickly as possible.”
“The group instills a great deal of confidence in me. This is a chance for us to demonstrate how capable we are.
The manager of Real Madrid issued the following statement, in which he criticized the regulating organizations for the fixture backlog that is causing players to sustain injuries:
“In my opinion, the calendar cannot be maintained in its current form, and those who are responsible for creating it need to examine it. Now there will be a greater number of matches, and the only way to solve this problem is to play fewer games. La Liga, UEFA, and FIFA are the only organizations that are capable of doing this, yet they choose not to.
It is to everyone’s advantage if the number of matches is lowered, since this will both cut down on injuries and provide for a more exciting show. “I don’t know if it makes sense to say that,” he said. “8-0 or 14-0 games.”
Concerning his future
Ancelotti’s future has been the subject of much speculation over the last several days, with some rumors indicating that Real Madrid will grant him a new contract while Brazil continues to be sure that he will arrive in 2024.
When questioned over the matter, the Italian responded by maintaining his silence and claiming, “I don’t think anything, and I’m not going to answer about my future.”
“I’m proud that the Brazilian national team is talking about me, it makes me proud,” he said, “but until my contract is up, I’m not going to talk about my future.”
Everything will become crystal obvious very shortly. Within a maximum of half a year,” he provided more clarification.
Ancelotti had the following response when he was asked whether or not he would wait until the very last day for Real Madrid to make a contract offer: “Of course I would.”
On the team and available alternatives after injury
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Real Madrid are low on midfielders due to the absence of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, both of whom have been ruled out of the match. As a result, rumors began to circulate that David Alaba would play the role of defensive midfielder for the team, but Ancelotti dispelled such rumors.
Alabama is not going to participate in the middle position. We have a plenty of available resources. The role of an interior is available for Bellingham. There are no issues with us. “Brahim has shown a lot of promise,” he said.
“Gonzalo and Nico Paz have both been brought on board. I have a great deal of faith in the members of my team. Vinicius was out for a month, yet we still managed to achieve our goals.
Ancelotti provided an update on Rodrygo, who returned from service in Brazil with a knee complaint, and stated, “Rodrygo is fine.” The little annoyance is no longer present. He will be accessible the next day.”
The manager of Real Madrid made the following comment in reference to the two academy prospects in attack, namely Alvaro Rodriguez and Gonzalo Garcia:
“During the time that Alvaro was called up, he performed really well. After returning to Castilla, his performance was much worse than before. Because Joselu is now using his profile, he has less opportunities available to him. Gonzalo has a distinctive appearance.”
Ancelotti said the following on the availability of Federico Valverde and the possibility of using him in the double pivot position: “He has come back well.” He is capable of playing in a double pivot position. There are a lot of potential options over there.”
The manager also highlighted the position of Real Madrid’s captain Nacho Fernandez, adding that it is not required for a skipper to be a regular starter in the team’s lineup. Nacho Fernandez has been a member of Real Madrid for a long time.
It is inappropriate for the captain to have an unchallenged right to start the game. He has to have the same kind of leadership that Nacho, Marcelo, and Sergio Ramos have. A leader who is sincere and committed… The reality is that he is extremely content in the job that he now plays. “It seems as though everybody wants to play more,” he remarked.