Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, is not inclined to alter his starting lineup when his team plays Barcelona on Wednesday night because he does not believe the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. As Los Blancos have lost to Barcelona in their last three encounters, some have questioned whether Ancelotti will alter his strategy before the game.
Real Madrid must also overcome a 1-0 deficit in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final. He was asked if he could throw in any sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇs to catch the Blaugrana off guard.
“Yes, it’s an option… but we also have to assess that we’ve done well in the last few games. We don’t only look at the result when it’s ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ. In the last two we’ve competed and in the last one we were close to winning. It could be a different line-up and maybe not. We want to play a complete game, but the idea is the same because I think the last two haven’t gone badly.”
He would continue by saying that he did “not want his side to go ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ,” emphasizing the importance of a full match.
Changes, in his opinion, were more likely to unnerve his players than the opposition.
“It’s difficult to change the system after working on the same system all year. You also have to take into account that you’re changing it for your players too. Perhaps small details are where you can sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇ your opponent, little things. In general, a system change will only sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇ you though, and it is not advisable.”
Los Blancos have played against Barcelona in both of their most recent meetings, and Ancelotti is correct that they may consider themselves unlucky to have lost at the Santiago Bernabeu. They have also recently had trouble making Barceloan uncomfortable.
Due to a string of unsuccessful matches against the Blaugrana, the Italian is under pressure to defeat the Catalans. Losing would put all of Real Madrid’s accomplishments in the Champions League and give Barcelona a chance to win the domestic treble.
Xavi Hernandez repeatedly rebuffs questions on Caso Negreira, Javier Tebas and referees
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has consistently dodged inquiries concerning referees, El Caso Negreira, and generally the substantial quantity of reports about Barcelona’s off-field activities that have been made public.
Before the probable UEFA punishment was mentioned, Xavi had two queries.
“Issues beyond sport do not enter the locker room. In there we don’t talk about UEFA, Negreira or Tebas. They will come wanting ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ and we have to show that we can ʙᴇᴀᴛ them. The rest is not our concern and we cannot control it.”
About Javier Tebas, Xavi stated that he was not friendly with the La Liga president, who yesterday demanded an explanation from Barcelona on El Caso Negreira.
“I don’t know him. I’m not lucky enough to know him. We’ve met twice and I don’t have a clear opinion.”
In general, he said he was unaware of the media noise surrounding the club currently.
“I don’t know because I don’t read anything and I listen to very little. We value things from within. The president, who is our boss, is happy. What does it matter what others say? Nothing should distract us. Anyone can see that we are better than last year.”
He was also questioned over a number of recent Real Madrid TV reports that claimed they had been the target of referee prejudice.
“I’ve talked a lot about the referees. I wouldn’t like to win a game by cheating. I want to win, but legally. It’s not worth talking about the referees. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. I don’t even like it when they help me. I always want to win legally.”
It was put to him that the appointment of Munuera Montero had not gone down well in Madrid. Yet Xavi had no opinion on him.
“I don’t like it or dislike him. Let him do his best and try to be fair.”
If there was a certain degree of frustration about transfers in his last press conference, Xavi highlighting that they are close to winning things, Xavi was careful to avoid any statements of opinion one way or another. This season a significant part of his job has been protecting his players from the noise surrounding the club.