Ancelotti, one more year: "Yesterday we had a meeting and Florentino showed me his support"
Important press conference at the Sports City of Valdebebas. Three days after Real Madrid's resounding defeat at the Etihad against Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti appeared before the media amidst rumors about his continuity, criticism of the team's image and debates about the changes the squad needs to face to the next season. And the technician was clear and direct. “Has the club guaranteed that he will fulfill his contract until 2024?” The journalists asked him. “Yes”, answered Carletto. And he closed any interest from Brazil: “I think that everyone knows what my situation is like and that I want to end my contract. Until 2024 and I want to continue…”
This Friday, the coach and Florentino Pérez had a meeting in Valdebebas to “analyze” everything that happened in the Champions League semifinals, take stock of this last season and assess what has been achieved since the arrival of the transalpine, who has won all possible titles in a 24 month arc. “At the meeting, he showed me his love and support,” Ancelotti said.. “We continue with the same enthusiasm,” he insisted.
His continuity was the central axis of the press conference, bordering on the issues that he will have to face if he continues on the Madrid bench in the next preseason. Especially the transition between veterans (Kroos, Modric and Benzema) and youngsters, a vital point for Madrid's technical management. “It’s hard for me to answer, but I’m going to do it…. I believe that the transition is not going to start next season, it already started before my arrival. This squad, which has done great things, began to lose pieces when Cristiano Ronaldo left in 2018. From there, young players with a lot of quality have started to arrive. All players end up being replaced by players with enormous quality. Vinicius after two years is an undisputed starter, Camavinga has started to come in, Rodrygo from the bench…. It seems that the transition has to start next season, but it has already begun. The youngsters are going to have even more prominence and the veterans even less. And the transition will stop the day Modric, Kroos, Benzema, Nacho, Carvajal… stop playing for this team.”
The case of Benzema will be one of the great moments of reflection of the summer.. The Frenchman will stay on, but the club now values the signing of another center forward more than ever. “It makes no sense to doubt Benzema. He had a bad game, but not only him. And he is still a legend of this club. On Wednesday the team was not right, not just Karim,” defended Ancelotti, who believes that “it is not the time to talk about next season. We are talking to the club, but for the moment we are only evaluating what happened on Wednesday… and before. We are already talking about the future, but it is not yet the time.”
Ancelotti, who encouraged to “think already about the next Champions League,” reviewed the season and admitted that it has been “good.” “It could be done better, but it has been good. Of course we are not satisfied with the League, but we have fought until the end in the other competitions…… y ganado tres”.