Real Madrid vs Chelsea
UEFA Champions League
Quarter Final
1st leg
Wednesday
12th April 2023
Santiago Bernabeu
Ancelotti praises ‘unstoppable’ attacker and jumps into the breach for Valverde
Carlo Ancelotti will play the umpteenth top match in his coaching career on Wednesday evening. The Italian coach of Real Madrid meets former employer Chelsea. In the run-up to that diptych, he responded to the controversial Federico Valverde.
Ancelotti’s Uruguayan eyeball was discredited after he gave Villarreal opponent Alex Baena a few hard blows. This happened after the home defeat of Los Blancos Valverde was reported, but Ancelotti remains confident in his stronghold. “He’s been working well the past few days. He is motivated to show himself. You know, I know him very well, he has special human qualities. I don’t want to comment further on what happened,” he started.
“Above all, we want to experience another magical moment,” Ancelotti further referred to last year’s crazy Champions League evenings. “In the end, that resulted in the overall victory. Our team is motivated enough to repeat it. Only we know how strong Chelsea are. Last season it was agony against them. It is a team of a very high level, but so are we.”
“I have twenty years more experience than Frank”
In the run-up to the diptych, it was suggested in the British media that Ancelotti would be a candidate to hold sway at Stamford Bridge next season. The Italian himself could laugh about that. “That’s the game, but I’m definitely not going back. I think Frank Lampard is going to do great now, I hope so too. Because I’ve been a fan of Chelsea since I worked there,” he said.
“I have twenty years more experience than Frank, but that will not affect this match,” thought Ancelotti. The old teacher has respect for his former player. “He is a fantastic, extraordinary professional. He will do well in the time he stays at the club. His presence will help the club move forward,” he adds.
After the resounding victory in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, Ancelotti is more than ever counting on his forwards. He himself enjoys Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema to the fullest. He concludes, “Viní is unstoppable. And if he is stopped, it is with a shovel. He is spectacularly good at the moment. Until the workouts. I see him working with Benzema, they understand each other. These are players who win titles for you.”
