Real Madrid returns to the Bernabéu, almost 100 days after celebrating its 14th Champions League there. It does so in a match of maximum difficulty, against Betis, co-leader of LaLiga and with Borja Iglesias as top scorer. It will be the first of five games in fifteen days, three in the domestic championship and two in the Champions League: «We started with a difficult game against a team that is going to compete, but our idea does not change. We want to keep the same identity. It may be that at home we start a little more intense, a little more aggressive. Tomorrow the game is difficult because Betis play very well, they are in a good dynamic and they arrive with confidence. At this point the season really begins because we start playing every three days»
The Italian believes that this season winning LaLiga will be more complicated, but his team is no longer the same as it was at the beginning of last year: “We have more in favor this season because of what we did last year. I think this year is going to be a more competitive League. In the Champions There is no favorite right now, it depends on what happens in March and April. We have fewer doubts now than last year. We have a very good squad with doubled positions.”
Tchouaméni is one of the two novelties of this course, pleasant novelties. Casemiro’s unexpected departure put him in the spotlight from minute one, and the Frenchman is kicking the door down with ease: «Tchouaméni has not surprised me at all, because if a club wants to invest so much money in him it is because we know him very well . We are working more on the defensive aspect because he defends very well, but we need him to get used to the characteristics of other players and this takes time. Playing with Modric and Kroos is different than playing with Valverde and Camavinga. For him it changes his positioning depending on who he plays with. The midfield squad is very strong, we have everything there: youth, intelligence, quality, positioning… The problem there is choosing the three that are going to start the game. With the changes we have we can change the dynamics of the matches.”
Ancelotti was happy with the permanence of Asensio and Ceballos. As a club man, he understood that Madrid had the idea of transferring them, but once that has not happened, he is clear that they will be important players: «Dani knows his role here very well. He knows we will see him a lot. I think he feels affection because he is a player that we like and completes a midfield due to his very good characteristics. Marco is also happy to stay here. We know him and he knows the squad. He was important last season and he will be again this season.”
The two of them, like Modric, Kroos, Benzema or Nacho their contract ends next summer, a strange situation that Ancelotti takes as natural: «The future of this club belongs to these players. It is quite clear what can happen with Modric, Kroos, Benzema and Nacho. If they want, they are players who can stay until the end of their career. I don’t think this contract issue is going to affect them. Now there are many players who reach the end of their contract because the clubs at the moment are more focused on the club’s economy and do not want to risk investing in the future. For our veterans the future is quite clear.”
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