Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti believes referees in La Liga come under too much pressure, especially compared to elsewhere.
Ancelotti has worked in Italy, England, France and Spain and told his pre-match Press conference prior to the second-leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final with Atletico Madrid that the focus on officials makes their job harder.
“The difference when compared to other countries is that here, like in Italy, referees are under more pressure,” he told reporters.
“Under pressure, it’s difficult for them to do their job.”
Referee Miguel Angel Aya Gamez was taken off duty for a month after he sent off Cristiano Ronaldo for an altercation during Madrid’s draw with Athletic Bilbao.
Ronaldo was given a three-game ban and Ancelotti added that being forced to miss matches was tough for the forward to take.
“Ronaldo wants to start every game,” Ancelotti said.
“We’ll see [on Tuesday] what the best team is.”
Ancelotti also confirmed Raphael Varane would play a part in the fixture after a lengthy spell out injured.
The France international will replace either Pepe or Sergio Ramos, who are both one yellow card away from suspension.
“Varane needs to play at the moment and one of [Pepe and Ramos] needs to be rested,” the Italian confirmed.
Ancelotti couldn’t say if Jese would start the game and warned against expecting the young forward to play every time.
“It’s impossible to think that he might be a starter all season. It’s better to think that he’s important to the team.
“It’s our fate to have a lot of games and we can solve that problem by using our players.”
Madrid go into the game with a 3-0 lead from the first leg and Ancelotti doesn’t expect complacency, but warned against it anyway.
“The best thing is not to think about our advantage. It’s a difficult game and Atletico are a very strong team. We have to play like we did in the first game.
“I don’t think there’ll be a problem with concentration. We have to have to same attitude we had in the first leg to avoid any problems.
“We need the same intensity we showed and that’s what we’ll look to achieve.”
