Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that he still gets nervous before games, even if he appears cool and collected on the outside. The Italian will look to mastermind Real Madrid’s progress in the Champions League, as they meet Manchester City for the third season in a row.
Earlier in his press conference he had accused his players of lacking personality before the match, something that Jude Bellingham has shown plenty of. The 20-year-old Englishman is Real Madrid’s top scorer this season, and Ancelotti was asked what he gave them.
“He is a great player, he appears in the area at the right time. Physically he is very strong, he covers a lot of ground and contributes a lot in defence. He creates spaces and opportunities for us.”
The thing that most surprised both Ancelotti and Bellingham’s teammates is not his quality on the ball, but his emotional intelligence.
“The key is that he is very mature, despite being 20 years old, for his age he has things in order up there. He is very professional and humble, he does not surprise us as a player, but as a person he does. He’s very mature.”
At 64 years of age, he is one of the most experienced managers in the game, and has won more Champions Leagues than anyone else left in the competition, but he still suffers from pre-match nerves.
“Yes, very nervous. The hours before the game, on a personal level. Defeat is suffering, is victory happiness? No, it’s really a relief. Because the days after are calmer. Suffering is part of the job, It keeps you alive, it’s fuel for me.”
It’s not something that shows, nor does it appear to phase his players. One of the things that Real Madrid have stood out for in recent years is their ability to come up with big goals under pressure, as they proved when they last put Manchester City out, scoring twice in the final ten minutes to get through to the final.
