Ancelotti: I hope my players don’t sleep tomorrow, and we don’t think about transfers
The coach said: “We all know Getafe’s style of play: strong, intense football, full of duels, well organized, and with clear ideas. We are ready. The closer we get to the end of the season, the more important the matches become. We have a lot at stake, and we want to continue our journey.”
He added: “Tomorrow’s starting lineup will depend on the fatigue that affected the players on Sunday night. Everyone has recovered well, but some are still tired, which is normal. We will see tomorrow who will play.”
Regarding the condition of Mbappe and Mendy: “They are not ready for tomorrow’s match, but they will train these days and may be ready for Saturday’s match (Cup final). Mbappe feels disappointed due to the injury because he cannot help the team. He is doing everything to be there on Saturday.”
About his future: “I have no grudge against anyone or anything. I love this job, and I hope it lasts as long as possible. If I retire one day, I will thank the club and tip my hat. In football, anything is possible. Nothing surprises me, and everything is possible.”
He continued: “The problems this season were clear: we lost two key pieces in defense (Militao and Carvajal), and it was difficult to compensate for them. We changed the game to include players with different characteristics, and we struggled to find balance. We hope to find it now. If we don’t find it, it will be difficult for us to win.”
He added: “Endrick? He is progressing very well and has taken on a significant role in the team because there are also matches where we need his strength and quality. Fran Garcia? He has improved. He has played more and has performed well almost always. In some games, I put Camavinga in because of the different characteristics they both have; Camavinga is more accustomed to playing deeper, and sometimes when he plays with Vinicius out wide, Fran finds it harder to show his quality.”
He emphasized: “Winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey depends on beating Barcelona; we have to come out of the next match strongly and focus on the cup final. We are confident that we can do it, and we can achieve it; something needs to change here in this regard, and we will change it.”
He noted: “The club realizes that this year has been more complicated than last year. Together, we face the difficulties, but I am still very happy, very pleased, and I suffer from a lot of pressure, but that is always the case; you see success very close, and it is natural for the tension to increase, but tension is fuel for me; it doesn’t bother me; it gives me more energy to think about more things.”
He continued: “We never thought about transfers here during the season; the club is always thinking about transfers at the end of the season.”
Regarding the match schedule: “I am not complaining; we did not play on Saturday against Bilbao so that we could play on Tuesday; it is good because we have enough time to recover and we do not have to travel. It might be better not to play tomorrow at 9:30 PM because many people are asleep at that time. I hope my players don’t sleep tomorrow.”
He concluded: “It seems that Barcelona is better than us, but the final is something unpredictable; it seems to me that turning Real Madrid into the underdog in the final is a bit exaggerated.”
