Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that he would happily swap Real Madrid’s empathic 9-1 victory over Granada for nine scrappy 1-0s.
Los Blancos were back to their very best at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging over half of their outlay, but the Coach says he would have taken a far less-flattering scoreline before kick-off if it meant his team winning all of their remaining matches.
“The team are fresh and they showed it. We started with pace and we scored a lot of goals,” he said aftter he game.
“We’re happy, but it’s just one game. Now we must focus on playing the same as we did [against Granada] on Wednesday.
“[James Rodriguez’s] performance was very good. It didn’t look like he went two months without playing. He played with intensity, quality and helped us move our play forward.
“It’s better when he improves the team. It’s the first time that he scored five goals [in one game] for Madrid. It’s good for him and the team.
“It’s obvious that this team can win the League, and fans like the ones we had [on Sunday] will help us. The players showed a good attitude and appreciated the fans.
“You always have to play for 90 minutes. The players did well and respected the opposing team.
“[Luka Modric] is crucial [to Madrid] because he moves the ball so quickly. He has the ability to change a game and open the play up through the wings.
“Now the team are fresh, so it doesn’t make any sense [to start resting first-teamers]. They’ll only rest when they’re tired or there’s risk of an injury.
“You can’t put 12 players out [referring to Isco’s role]. If you’re not at 100 percent, you don’t play. If everyone’s at 100 percent, it’s up to me who plays and who doesn’t.
“Of course I’d swap [a 9-1 for nine 1-0s], but it’s noteworthy that the team returned to play how they wanted.”
