Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he harbours ‘no regrets’ following Real Madrid’s mixed bag against Sevilla on Wednesday.
Despite Los Blancos’ 2-1 victory over the Andalucians, a result which kept them five points clear atop La Liga, they must make do without Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez, both of whom limped off at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Marcelo for the derby with Atletico Madrid at the weekend.
“We will miss important players, but I have no regrets. Nacho did very well and gave me confidence,” the Coach told reporters after the game.
“I’ll appeal Marcelo’s yellow because it wasn’t necessary. Ramos has a hamstring problem and we’ll have to wait a few days [for the diagnosis].
“James has a problem in his right foot, which we don’t know much about yet. He probably won’t be available [for Atleti] either.
“We’ve lost some experience [in defence], but our enthusiasm is good. I’m very confident in [Raphael] Varane and Nacho, although Pepe and Ramos are among the best defenders in the world.
“I’m not thinking about the title. The match was difficult, we fought hard and won in the end. [Fabio Coentrao] will be available. He trained with Cristiano [Ronaldo on Wednesday].
“I liked the team throughout the game. We had some very good chances and it was normal to suffer towards the end because they had more height than us on set pieces. We won with merit and everything went well.
“Jese is returning to his form of last year. He’s eager and had a very good match. It was a complete performance from him.
“[Bale was selfish] again? The piece of play [with Karim Benzema] was fantastic and he eventually made the right decision.
“I don’t have to ask him anything. He was always dangerous with the ball at his feet.
“The balance of a team doesn’t depend on a single player, but rather the team and their intelligence on the pitch.
“The news of Cristiano’s return is good for us. He’ll help us, even though we won two games without him.
“Illarra didn’t play [against Sevilla] and is fresher, so I’ll consider him. Khedira was fresher [on Wednesday] and had a great game.
“Our last matches against [Atleti] were not so good, so it’s important to change this slump.
“It’ll be a tough game and we’ve thought about doing something different. Moving 10 points clear [of them] gives us no motivation, but rather the fact that it’s a derby.”
