Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo will be the main free kick taker for Real Madrid this season.
There had been suggestions that Gareth Bale would take over set pieces from the Portugal international, following his move from Tottenham in the summer, but the Coach has insisted that s not the case.
“Cristiano has a lot of quality in that area and he’s first,” Ancelotti told a Press conference.
“Bale can take them sometimes, and so can Di María; the free-kicks in the centre. It’s going to be Cristiano first, followed by the other two.
“Ronaldo’s a great professional with good concentration in training, also before and after because he works hard to recover.
“He’s an example to the rest, particularly to the young players. He has a lot of quality and is very professional.”
The Italian tactician then commented on this weekend’s match against Getafe, as well as the fitness of some of his key players.
“We can play with more intensity. We’ve got the possibility of playing more aggressively, above all at the beginning.
“Against Villarreal we didn’t start well, and against Galatasaray… it’s something we can improve.
“Varane’s not available for tomorrow’s game, but he probably will be for the Atlético game next week, or even against Elche. The same goes for Coentrao and Marcelo.
“We’ve been working with Raphael to avoid any problems. It’s been a long process and we’ve worked with him individually to protect him in the future.
“When he starts playing again he will be able to play 90 minutes.
“After the game in Istanbul Ramos was tired. We wanted to make sure he recovered properly and get him in the gym. He doesn’t have any specific problem, and although he will be named in the squad I don’t think he will play.”
