It’s a technique which seems to be more and more popular amongst football managers these days. Before a big match which requires a little bit more than your standard weekend league fixture, showing the players a video seems to get enough results for elite managers to keep using them.
That’s what Carlo Ancelotti has gone for ahead of Real Madrid’s clash with Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final second leg. Los Blancos must comeback and score two more goals than their opponents to go through, after suffering a 4-3 defeat at the Etihad.
Speaking to Movistar+ ahead of the match, in an interview shared by Sport, Ancelotti was asked what the last words he had said to his players were. The Italian revealed that he had shown them a ‘very beautiful and motivational’ video before leaving them.
“If Real Madrid can do 20% of what he has asked of the players, then they will win the match,” he also said and that the players confirmed to him that they were clear on what he wanted.
Real Madrid struggled throughout the match against Pep Guardiola’s side in the first leg, relying on moments of brilliance from Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior to keep them in striking distance. To change that narrative, Ancelotti has brought in Fede Valverde for Rodrygo Goes from the start.
