InterviewCarlo Ancelotti explains the failure of Eden Hazard at Real Madrid in the podcast of his former Chelsea professional John Obi Mikel. The 65-year-old also comments on Gareth Bale’s inglorious end as a Real Madrid player. “Carletto” also explains the working atmosphere and the team’s success that came with it, and also talks about Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos and son Davide.
Screenshot: YouTube/@ObiOnePodcast“> Enlarge
Ancelotti in the podcast of his former player John Obi Mikel – Screenshot: YouTube/@ObiOnePodcast
“The environment in which we work must be clean”
CARLO ANCELOTTI about…
…the working atmosphere at Real Madrid: “The environment in which we work must be clean. No discussions, no problems. Of course I want to be respected 100 percent, but to be respected you first have to show respect yourself. Our goal is to keep the environment clean. No discussions with players, managers… I am very focused on that. No negativity. The relationship is very important. Strategies are not the most important thing in my job, it is the relationships. The player must have a professional relationship with me, he is forced to do that. But he is not forced to have a personal relationship. For me it is more important to have a personal relationship, because the professional one is forced. In personal relationships you are not talking to a player, you are talking to a person. That is a big difference.”
…his future after Real: “I think it will be the last club. If the possibility of a national team arises, I don’t know yet. I’m not so keen on a national team because I’d lose my daily work there. I like it.”
Ancelotti’s staff at Real Madrid: “We don’t want any yes-men”
…his son Davide as assistant coach: “Working with your own son is a fantastic experience. Anyone could have thought that he was there because he was my son. I chose him as an assistant because I know he has the knowledge. I don’t want to put my son in a role with responsibility if he doesn’t have the knowledge. My son can tell me things that not everyone can say to me because they might not have the courage. I want to have assistants who challenge me and not yes-men. We discuss a lot, they give me a lot of information.”
…he is lucky that the squad is now being strengthened with Kylian Mbappé: “We have a fantastic squad. As (Cristiano) Ronaldo left in 2018, the club has been able to sign some fantastic young players year after year. Vinícius (Junior)Rodrygo (Goes), (Federico) Valverde, then (Eduardo) Camavinga, dann (Aurelien) Tchouaméni. One every year. Then (Jude) Bellingham, then Arda Güler. And now Kylian Mbappé. We have a fantastic squad with a fantastic talent, but I think the key is to keep the veterans in the team: How (Daniel) Carvajal, like Lucas Vázquez, like Luka Modrić. Unfortunately we have Nacho (Fernández) and Toni Kroos. That was very good for the success in recent years.”
Ancelotti explains the Frenchman’s position in Real’s attack. read more
…Bellingham: “He surprised us with his maturity. When you talk to him, he doesn’t seem like a 20-year-old. He is very confident, has a big personality, a great character. When we saw him play in Dortmund, we noticed that he is very good at pushing into the box at the right time. His movements are very good when we have the ball. We had (Karim) Benzema and we tried to ensure that he doesn’t occupy the position permanently, but is there at the right moment. He did very well, the first half of the season was absolutely fantastic.”
Hazard flops at Real Madrid: “Difficulties with competition”
…Toni Kroos: “Toni had a lot of responsibility in those ten years when Real Madrid was able to win the Champions League six times. The generation around Kroos was the key to success. Toni Kroos was part of it – with his quality, his professionalism, with a small ego. It’s everyday teamwork. The young players – Vinícius, Rodrygo, Valverde… – see that every single day. They understand very well how to become a top player, how to be a top player.”
…Eden Hazard, who played no role under him: “Eden is a fantastic guy, he was very accepted by everyone, he had a good relationship with everyone. Hazard’s problem was of course the injuries – but also the fact that he had difficulty being in a competitive situation. He doesn’t like training, but when you play every three days, you are not able to train at high intensity. You have to train at high intensity when you are not playing. He played every game at Lille and Chelsea, then had injuries. When you are at Real Madrid and have injuries, you have to come back and accept the competition. If you don’t play, there is someone else who can play. He had difficulty with the competition. With fighting to get a place on the pitch.”
Photo: IMAGO / Marca“>
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Hazard was always a reserve under Ancelotti – Photo: IMAGO / Marca
Bale lost “motivation to play” at Real Madrid
…Gareth Bale, whose time at Real ended ingloriously as a permanent reserve: “It’s a different case. He lost a bit of motivation to play at a high level. But Gareth is considered a legend here because he scored in many finals here. I had fantastic moments with him. He was one of the best players I coached. The combination of physicality and talent: wow!”
…the experience of having trained Cristiano Ronaldo: “When you have a player who scores every game, it’s not difficult to deal with. He’s a top professional, a legend. It was fantastic – thanks to his talent, his hard work, his professionalism. He was always focused, concentrated. Unbelievable.”
…the mix between talents and veterans: “I’m used to telling the older players before the season to cover myself: ‘You have to know: the young players are really good. So: you have to consider that you might get fewer minutes than last season.’ And they understand that. But I have to say to the young players: ‘You have to stay patient, don’t demand too much playing time, because the veterans are still very good.’ So far they have understood. Last season was one in which I really didn’t have any problems with anyone. Really. Nobody complained.”
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Interview
“His problem was…”: Ancelotti on Hazard, Bale and Real’s success
Carlo Ancelotti explains Eden Hazard’s failure at Real Madrid in the podcast of his former Chelsea professional John Obi Mikel. The 65-year-old also comments on Gareth Bale’s inglorious end as a Real Madrid player. “Carletto” also explains the working atmosphere and the team’s success, and also talks about Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos and son Davide.
01.08.2024, 19:50
