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Real Madrid is a team that has consistently excelled over the years, and they are perennial favorites for the Champions League title. This season will be no different, as they remain a top contender for the prestigious trophy.
Real Madrid is motivated to become even more formidable this summer with the arrival of Kylian Mbappé. This move clearly positions them as strong contenders for their 16th continental title. Carlo Ancelotti embraces this status but chooses not to emphasize it too heavily as they gear up for their opening European fixture against Stuttgart. In fact, Stuttgart seems to be barely on Ancelotti's radar, as he hardly mentioned the German side during the press conference. He was only asked about them once, reflecting their minimal impact on Madrid's focus.
What does capture their attention? The ongoing hostility Vinícius faces from opposing crowds every time he plays away from Madrid. Ancelotti stands up for the player, who has had his fair share of struggles, including a recent encounter with Real Sociedad where Vinícius celebrated a goal by shushing the crowd.
"It’s normal for him to put his finger on his lips given everything that’s been happening. It’s a reaction to very ugly actions that have been repeating for a long time. Every time we hear insults directed at him. No one can endure that, I wouldn’t be able to either,” Ancelotti said.
Whether he’s completely honest about this is uncertain, but it’s certainly not a coincidence that Vinícius is targeted on every stadium in Spain. Ancelotti has a prepared defense. “What’s been done to him all these years is simply intolerable. There should be less focus on him and more on what’s happening in the stadiums. I think they do this to him because they see him as a threat on the field and are trying to unsettle him.”
Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Éder Militão, key players for Real Madrid, will be available for selection. Ancelotti recognizes their importance to the team and understands the impact they can have in upcoming matches. All three have been crucial to the squad, with the exception of Militão, who suffered an injury during part of the season. The Italian coach emphasizes that there is still considerable room for improvement within his team.
“Maybe we could have had two more points in the league, but we are where we wanted to be. We won the title last season, and considering our players gathered on August 9th, we could predict we’d have some issues. It takes five weeks to prepare a player. We finished that today. Everything so far has been a preparation period. And we have a lot to improve.”
Carlo Ancelotti on his team
Ancelotti is calm enough to assert – we are even better than last season.
“We lost two very important players like Nacho and Kroos – you can’t replace them – plus Joselu. But we brought in the best player in the world and one of the best players in the world. So I think we are better than last year,” said Ancelotti, referring to Kylian Mbappé and Endrick. He does admit there are issues in Real’s play, leading to widespread debate in the Iberian Peninsula about whether Madrid’s attackers are defending enough. “Ideally, attackers score goals. Of course, there’s no cohesive team without their help. But it’s problematic if an attacker plays more defense than a defender. That’s a problem… But it’s not our problem, as we’ve only conceded one goal from open play and one from a set piece. We’ve kept the net clean four times. That’s not bad.”
One of the topics discussed was the upcoming match against Stuttgart, a team that performed exceptionally well last season and is expected to be a strong contender this year. Ancelotti describes Stuttgart as a great team with impressive individual players. Despite this, he is confident that Real Madrid will come out on top, believing that they have the quality needed to secure a victory in the match.
“Thank you for asking about Stuttgart. It’s the first time you’ve asked me. I remember last season, they did a great job. That’s why they’re here. An excellent team, very organized. It will be fun,” Ancelotti said briefly. As polite as he is, it’s clear that no one in Madrid wants to talk about Stuttgart. It’s all about the title. Simply, that’s Real Madrid. Always the favorite. “The format has changed, but the favorites remain the same. Of course, Real Madrid is among them, although not the only one. But it’s not like we’re favorites just because we’re the current champions. This season is a whole new story. And we certainly hope to play in the final again,” concludes Ancelotti.
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