Ancelotti spoke to the press this morning ahead of tomorrow's clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
How excited is the team to get off to a good start in the Champions League?
The same as always. The one that brings us to this competition, where this club has been a protagonist for a long time... and continues to be so. The Champions League is special for Real Madrid. We will try to compete until the end, as always.
How is Bellingham?
Well, like Tchouameni and Militao... who didn't train today because he needed an extra day of recovery. Two important players are back, although we are unlucky to have lost another ( Brahim ). But the team is in good enough shape to win tomorrow, to start this new competition well.
Can you give more details about Militao?
He hasn't trained today because we've decided to give him one more day of rest, to do individual work. But he'll be available tomorrow, 100%.
"When they prick him, he bleeds,” Carvajal said of Vinicius and his gestures, justifying them...
What Vinicius did is a reaction to a very ugly action. One that happens and has happened many times against him: insults from the beginning. Nobody could stand it, neither could I. The gesture of putting his hand to his mouth is quite normal, after everything that is happening.
And why does Vinicius always end up looking like the culprit?
What has happened to him in all these years, since I arrived, is something that cannot be tolerated. I can understand the whistles at the opponent, but to do so right from the warm-up... Who can stand that? It is not normal. They do it because he is a sporting danger and they try to take him out of the game. Less attention should be paid to the youngsters and more attention should be paid to what happens in the stadiums.
Is Kroos' absence the most damaging to the team?
It's a finished subject, forgotten. We have to look forward. Kroos cannot be replaced, but those we have will do very well, as Toni did during all this time.
What is the mission of the forwards?
The ideal is to score goals. The midfield should help in attack and defence. The defence should defend... and the goalkeeper should save. This would be the ideal world. But, obviously, to have a compact team, the work of the forward is important. If the forward defends more than the defence, there is a problem. If the goalkeeper touches more balls than the pivot, there is another problem. At the moment we are doing quite well in this sense. On a defensive level we can do better, but we have done quite well: in six games we have only conceded one goal from action and one from a dead ball. We have kept four clean sheets. We are not doing so badly.
Are you studying any method, or change, to avoid injuries?
We have tried to do what we can, but it is not in our hands. The calendar is too demanding. Now a new competition is coming and we don't know how it will turn out. It may be more entertaining, or not. But what is certain is that we have two more games! If the governing bodies do not start to think that players get injured because they play too much, we have a problem. I ask that the number of games be reduced in order to have more attractive competitions.
What does the team need to improve?
In these six games we could have had two more points, but we are where we wanted to be. With a title... and knowing that it was foreseeable that we would have some problems, because some players arrived on August 9. In football years ago, pre-seasons lasted five weeks. You trained for five weeks and then the competition started. To be at your best, a player needs at least that, five weeks. Well, if you count from August 9, the five weeks end more or less today. This has been a 'pre-season period'. Now, obviously, we have to improve... and continue to evolve, as we are doing. But we will compete like last year.
Are you worried about Barcelona's level?
They are a rival that we respect, like Atlético de Madrid or Villarreal, who are doing well. We have the same respect for all of them.
Do you think you have a better squad than last year?
You've seen what's happened with the squad: we lost Nacho and Kroos, two important players. And then Joselu. In exchange, they've been replaced by the best player in the world. Or one of the best in the world. So, do we have a better squad than last year? I think so.
Who is your favourite in the Champions League?
It's always the same, including Real Madrid. This Champions League, however, will be a different story. Hopefully we can go all the way, like last year.
It's been 27 years of Champions League football, since 1997, with Parma. How do you keep the excitement alive?
For me, on a personal level, the Champions League is very special. Not just for the club. But as I have said many times, it is not just the competition, but the day-to-day: being here, talking to the players, preparing training sessions and putting up with the problems that arise. I consider myself very patient... because every day there is a problem and it has to be solved. And many times they are not problems, but rather nonsense that we consider problems. Like in life.
You spent a few months with Stuttgart coach Hoeness at Bayern Munich. He was in the lower categories. What do you think of him?
I remember that, of course. He did a fantastic job last year. If Stuttgart comes to the Bernabéu tomorrow, it means that the work of this coach has been spectacular. They are a very good team, very organized. Tomorrow we will see a very entertaining match.