Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti refrained from giving his opinion about the registrations of … [+] FC Barcelona stars Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, after his team beat Mallorca to face the Catalans in the Spanish Super Cup final at the weekend.
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Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti refrained from giving his opinion about the registrations of FC Barcelona stars Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, after his team beat Mallorca to face the Catalans in the Spanish Super Cup final at the weekend.
Following his team seeing off last season’s Copa del Rey runners up 3-0 in the last four, Ancelotti was asked about the mentioned Spanish players, who were finally granted permission to play for the rest of the 2024/2025 season which had previously been refused.
Asked if them being allowed to star in the decider on Sunday and beyond is Barca “adulterating the competition”, Ancelotti answered, “I don’t want to talk about it” after admitting that he has thought about the debacle.
“Giving an opinion on this issue seems complicated to me and I don’t want to talk about this,” the Italian later added.
When he was once more asked why not, he stated: “Everyone has their opinion. I have a public profile and I don’t want to give an opinion. What I think I keep to myself.”
“I don’t want to comment on this. I have an opinion, obviously, but I don’t want to [give it],” he had separately remarked, before heading to his post-match press conference.
With another episode of El Clasico on the near horizon, Ancelotti was reminded that the last meeting between the two La Liga behomoths ended in a “painful defeat” for Los Blancos.
“In recent times the Clasico has been unpredictable. [We won] 4-1 [in the 2024 Super Cup final], 0-4 in Barcelona [in a 2023 Copa del Rey semifinal] … They beat us 4-0 at the Bernabeu. It’s difficult to think about the next game. It will be entertaining because there is quality on the pitch,” Ancelotti predicted.
Regarding a “spectacular” Jude Bellingham, who yet again found the back of the net and scored his side’s opening goal, Ancelotti stated that the Englishman is “very important to us”.
“When the four up front are activated, anything can happen. They are very dangerous, it is obvious, everyone sees it. But it is not only a question of quality. They also have a lot of commitment. In this last period they are doing well,” Ancelotti concluded on this.
As for the brawl that broke out at full time, Ancelotti said it was “unnecessary” because “the game was already over”.
“I don’t blame anyone, neither the Mallorca players, nor those of Real Madrid. But such a ‘fight’ was unnecessary. The players were a bit hot and I tried to calm the waters a little with [Pablo] Maffeo. Well, in the end nothing happened. But that ending was not necessary,” Ancelotti insisted.
