Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t feel there is a side remaining in the Champions League that Real Madrid need to fear.
The Italian said at his Press conference following Madrid’s 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the tournament’s semi-final first-leg that Los Blancos have the ability to overcome any opposition.
“Madrid, with the quality we have, can beat anyone,” Marca reports Ancelotti was saying after the Coach was questioned about his side’s record in big games.
“It’s true that we haven’t done well at first [in the big games] but the work in this part of the season has helped us to have good results.”
Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the game in a match that saw Madrid largely play on the counter-attack, allowing Bayern to dominate possession.
Ancelotti explained his reasoning for setting the team out in such a fashion, and admitted it was contrary to his principles.
“We created good chances because this team is formidable on the counter,” he said.
“Against Bayern it’s normal to use the counter and it means you have to defend well. The deeper you defend, the better. There was less pressure in the second-half.
“I don’t like giving away the ball. It’s clear you can’t have it the whole match and Bayern have a very clear philosophy.
“Football isn’t just about controlling the ball, it’s defence and counter-attack too. An old Coach said when you have the ball the opposition have no chance to score.”
Ancelotti was asked directly about the performances of a couple of players – goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Fabio Coentrao, who played at left-back despite Marcelo returning to the squad.
“Every time Fabio has played he has had the utmost concentration, been aggressive and very smart,” Ancelotti said of the Portuguese.
“We could score or Bayern could score, but Iker was fantastic. But Diego Lopez will play in the League and Iker will play on Tuesday [in the second-leg].
“We know we are going to suffer but we will fight and give everything as we have today, with significant help from the fans in a spectacular environment.
“We’ll do everything possible to bring this support to Lisbon.”
