Ancelotti has once again come out in defence of Vinicius, stressing that if he were to experience what his player is experiencing in rival fields, he would “react in the same way”. The Italian once again complained about the plague of injuries and pointed the finger at the governing bodies of football, demanding “a reduction in the calendar”, and gave as an example the new Champions League format in which they will play “two more games”. He affirms that the team “is where they want to be” at this stage, assuring that they have just finished “doing the pre-season”. He underlines that he has a “better squad” than last year, and announces that Bellingham and Tchouameni are back and that “Militao will play”.
Vinicius and the calendar
“What Vini did is a reaction to a very ugly action that happens a lot. I couldn’t stand so many insults either. It’s the truth, what has happened since I arrived is something that can’t be tolerated. I understand the booing of the rival, but insulting him even during the warm-up is not normal. They do it because he is a danger on a sporting level and they try to distract him,” underlines the Italian, who sympathizes with his player.
Ancelotti has once again raised his voice and attacked the organisations that organise the calendar, which he blames for the constant injuries suffered by the players: “The solution is not in our hands, given the demanding calendar. There is another new Champions League coming up which adds two more games. If the governing bodies do not start to think that the injuries are due to playing too many games, we have a problem. They have to start thinking about reducing the calendar and making competitions with more attractive matches.”
Preseason and the squad
“After six games, we are where we want to be. We have won a title, but we knew there would be problems with the players who arrived late to pre-season. Before, it was five weeks of preparation and then the competitions started. For us, it has been a period of pre-season since we played the first game on August 14,” complains the Italian, who compares last year’s squad with the current one: “We have lost two important players, Nacho and Kroos, and also Joselu. But we have replaced him with the best or one of the best in the world. I think we do have a better squad.”
He says he “respects” Barcelona for their great start to the season, just as he respects “Atletico, Villarreal and all the teams that are doing well.” He believes that the favourites to win the Champions League are “the same as always, even if they change the format, including Real Madrid. But this Champions League is going to be a new story.” “Stuttgart is a good team, well organised and it will be a very entertaining match. The fact that they are in the Champions League shows that their coach Sebastián Hoeneß has been doing fantastic work.”
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