Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that playing Sergio Ramos in midfield “isn’t reckless” ahead of Real Madrid’s La Liga encounter with Valencia on Saturday.
The 29-year-old, who is a centre-back by trade, came under fire for his performance in the middle of the park during Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat by Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals, but the Coach says he will not hesitate to experiment again in the future.
“The Sergio Ramos debate isn’t over. He can play in many positions,” he began at a Press conference.
“If I need to play him as a holding midfielder, I will because he has my confidence.
“It’s not reckless to put him in midfield. I made the decision because I thought it was for the best.
“He’ll start playing well again when Real Madrid starting playing well again, and that will be very soon
“[Karim Benzema] is available, but he’s not at 100 percent. I’ll decide tomorrow if he starts the game [against Valencia] or on the bench.
“[Sami Khedira] won’t play because he picked up an injury in his right foot and still hasn’t recovered.
“I think [the strike] is an issue that’ll be fixed within the next few days. I think there’s been a breakdown in communication between both parties.
“I don’t believe the season will be over [after this weekend]. The season will end as it does normally.
“We’re not thinking about Juventus. The most important thing right now for us is Valencia.
“We’re on a good run, playing well, with confidence, and fighting for the Champions League, so we need to give it all on the pitch.
“I’m not going to rest players [against Valencia] because they’ve had four days off. They’re fresh.
“The team are feeling well mentally. We have every confidence about the next two games. The games against Valencia and Juventus are like two finals.
“We didn’t lack concentration against Juve, but you can’t always play with same intensity. We failed with our passing.”
