Carlo Ancelotti says he will get round the problem of who will cover for the loss of Luka Modric in Real Madrid’s midfield.
The Croatian suffered a thigh injury in his country’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy last weekend, with initial reports suggesting he could be sidelined for as long as four months.
Madrid visit Eibar on Saturday and Ancelotti is confident he has the players at his disposal to make up for the former Tottenham Hotspur player’s absence.
“It’s quite sad about Modric’s injury but he’s getting better every day,” the Italian told RNE’s ‘Radiogaceta de los Deportes’ programme.
“He’s a very important player but we’ll make do, just as we did last year. It’s a problem but we’ll solve it by playing another midfielder.
“[Toni] Kroos and [Sami] Khedira are a World Cup-winning partnership and Isco isn’t our last option – he’s another option who is up to the task and can play anywhere on the pitch.”
Ancelotti also hinted he would like to extend his contract with Real Madrid, something he believes will happen.
“My current agreement runs until 2016. I don’t know how soon I’ll sign a new deal, although I’d like to,” he revealed, before being asked his take on Lionel Messi’s remarks he could leave Barcelona one day, and also how he thought the Catalans would fare this season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo said the same thing as Messi three or four years ago. Every player goes through the same thing during his career, yet things can change quickly.
“I reckon Barca will challenge until the end as they have enough quality to do that in every competition.
“I think at the moment they are trying to change their style and want to play more direct, attacking football,” he replied
Finally, the 55-year-old was questioned on who he considered would be Madrid’s main rivals in this season’s Champions League.
“Bayern Munich are as good as they were last year, while Chelsea are more dangerous than last season because they’ve improved their squad a lot.”
