The two sides meet for the seventh time this season on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, with Ancelotti's team having failed to win in any of the previous six games between them.
Madrid have lost four and drawn two against Atleti this term, missing out on the Spanish Supercopa to their city rivals, suffering elimination in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey and going down twice in La Liga - the last of those a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the Vicente Calderon in February.
Ancelotti conceded that facing the Argentine coach is difficult, but claimed his side are not obsessed with Atletico but by reclaiming the Champions League for a second season in succession.
"What can I say about Simeone?," he asked at a press conference. "He is a great coach, I like him a lot. He has proved himself, he is one of the best in the world. It’s an honour to face him and also a problem.
“We don’t have an obsession with Atletico, but with reaching the final of the Champions League. Our objective is not to beat Atletico, but to dream of winning the Champions League.
“Every match presents its own problem. Every match has its idea. Every defeat was different. One was due to set pieces, one for something else, another due to a not very good attitude, like the last one. It’s difficult to say what happened. It’s not that interesting, but we have analysed it and now we have another tie.
"We haven’t done much psychological work to forget the last six derbies.”
The Italian has more confidence facing the Rojiblancos this time though, as he says his team have been practicing set-pieces to prepare them for the threat posed by their powerful opponents.
"We have worked on set pieces, but the best way to do it would be to play against your rival in training. We don’t have Mandzukic here. We also don’t have to think too much about it. Don’t forget we won the Champions League thanks to a set piece as well.”
Madrid's last victory over Atletico came in the Champions League final in May 2014, with Simeone's men leading until Sergio Ramos rose to head home a corner deep into added time to make it 1-1, with the Santiago Bernabeu outfit going on to win 4-1 in extra time.
“Ramos’ goal is an unforgettable memory because it allowed us to win such an important trophy for the club," Ancelotti said. "It is still important now. But it’s in the past – a good memory in the past. We are now focused on the present – on winning another Champions League.
“Ramos is very important for all of us. I have had the opportunity to coach great players and Ramos is one of them. He has personality and character.”
Unlike in the 4-0 defeat back in February when Ramos, Luka Modric and James Rodriguez were unavailable through injury, Ancelotti now has a fully fit squad to choose from and believes the key to beating Atleti lies in defensive unity throughout the team.
"I am lucky to have the whole squad at my disposal," he said. "The formation will be the same as always. To play well, we will have to use all our weapons: individual quality and attacking directly with pace.
“There is no problem with the system. It’s very important to play a compact game, close together, in all aspects. To have the right attitude, personality and courage for these games. All of the players have to be committed to defending. Just like in attack. When I talk about a compact team, the idea is to attack and defend with 11 players.
"It’s not a problem of numbers. If I want superiority in midfield, I can play seven midfielders. And if Simeone plays eight, I will try and play nine! But football is not only about numbers.”
Gareth Bale sat out Saturday's win over Eibar after picking up a knock in the 2-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, but Ancelotti revealed the winger is at "100 per cent" for Tuesday's game.
"Bale is fine," he said. "I have the whole squad available and they are very fresh. If one doesn’t play, another will. But Bale is at 100%.”
No comments:
Post a Comment