Carlo Ancelotti reacted with irony after being asked why he substituted Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s comfortable 3-0 win over Liverpool.
The Portuguese star was replaced by Sami Khedira 15 minutes from the end of the Champions League victory at Anfield, and Ancelotti explained his decision to the Canal Plus cameras afterwards.
“I thought about giving him [Ronaldo] a rest if things went well. He’d done a lot of sprinting so I wanted to avoid any problems and have him fresh for Saturday.
“He scored and he’s happy. We’re all delighted and I took him off without asking him,” said the Italian, in clear reference to Lionel Messi deciding not to come off in Barcelona’s win over Eibar last week.
Ancelotti said he was already looking forward to this weekend’s El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“The two teams will be going into the game really well and it’s going to be a spectacle.
“Luckily enough I’ve got a ticket to see it,” he joked.
