Carlo Ancelotti was unperturbed after Real Madrid’s 4-2 defeat to Milan on Tuesday. “This defeat doesn’t hurt us whatsoever.”
Los Blancos saw their 22-match winning run halted by the Rossoneri, albeit unofficially, at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, but the Coach insisted the result meant nothing in light of his side’s glorious year.
“This defeat doesn’t hurt us whatsoever. We’ve had a week of preparation, and physically we were fine,” he maintained in the mixed zone after the match.
“We got ourselves back up to speed after the holidays and did what we needed to do. Everyone had their 45 minutes. Now we’ll rest for a day and then two more to prepare for the match at Mestalla.
“We're very happy to have finished this fantastic year. Milan played well and we didn’t, that's it. You can’t say that this defeat changes what we achieved this year, of course not.”
Ancelotti also took the opportunity to highlight Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Jese Rodriguez’s return to fitness and end the speculation surrounding Gareth Bale’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We have good news from Valdebebas [Madrid’s training complex] as Ramos and Marcelo have been training and are doing well.
“Jese has fully recovered and played well. He was better in the second half, and the rest did him no problems,” he added.
“Bale’s one of our most important players and won’t leave. There are no problems, rumours or questions about him.
“We’ll retain the affection of the fans in Dubai, just like in Marrakech. They’re amazing.”
