Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room at the Santiago Bernabéu after the Clásico in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals: “Barcelona didn’t deserve to win and that’s obvious. This defeat will not cause any after-effects because we are satisfied with our performance. It’s very difficult to control the game against Barcelona as we did today. We are aware that we have to come back, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve come from behind in a tie. We’re hurt by the result, but we will go into the second leg confidently.
“It was a good game. We played an intense game, with a lot of pressure up front. The fact that they had 34% possession means that we did well in this aspect, but their defensive line was very tight. We put in a lot of crosses, but they are strong in the air. It’s the game we wanted to play and it gives us confidence for the second leg. It’s the first 90 minutes and we just have to repeat this aspect of dominance for the game in Barcelona”.
His team’s offensive work “We didn’t have a great many chances, but defensively, playing at a fast pace, it was one of Madrid‘s best games. Barcelona defended very deeply and we had difficulties in our transitional play. We controlled well, but you can’t always play a transition game. We didn’t allow Barcelona to play the way they wanted to play and that’s good for us. We have to repeat this for the second leg.” Second leg “If we replicate that intensity, we’ll have the chances to turn the tie around. I doubt that Barcelona will set up quite so defensively at the Camp Nou. We started and finished the game well. They scored against us due to an individual mistake and a counter, a rebound. That affected the team a bit. We didn’t allow Barcelona to keep the ball at any time in the game and that’s not without merit”.
Barcelona’s performance “It was strange to see Barcelona play like that. They are very solid at the back and haven’t conceded many goals. They defend very well and are committed to their duties. They closed their lines brilliantly, crossing the ball into the box isn’t what we want to be doing”.
Favourite in the tie “We’re behind but we feel confident we can turn it around”.
The referee “Overall he had a good game but there was a spell when things got a little bit difficult for him”.
source: onefootball.com
