Primera Division
No championship party: Ancelotti with Real in Bayern mode
Real Madrid’s star coach Carlo Ancelotti quickly called off the championship break. photo
© Manu Fernandez/AP/dpa
The 36th title for Real Madrid is perfect. But coach Carlo Ancelotti only has two things on his mind: the Champions League and FC Bayern Munich.
The championship break blew the star trainer Carlo Ancelotti dismissed it without further ado and postponed it until a later date. Real Madrid secured its 36th title early in Spain’s football championship, but that wasn’t nearly as important to the Italian as the next game: On Wednesday, FC Bayern Munich will play the semi-final second leg of the Champions League.
“The joy is limited because we have a very important game ahead of us this season. We have to recover, rest and give our best performance against Bayern,” said Ancelotti.
His team completed their mandatory task with a 3-0 win against FC Cadiz. A few hours later, the new second-placed FC Girona made Real’s championship perfect with a 4-2 win against the dethroned defending champion and until then first pursuer FC Barcelona. With now 87 points, the Royals cannot be overtaken by either Girona (74) or Barcelona (73) in the remaining four matchdays. “The league we played was spectacular, we had a lot of continuity and made very few mistakes. The lead we have now is deserved,” said Ancelotti.
Even before the game against relegation candidate Cadiz, the 64-year-old’s mind was mainly focused on the premier class duel with his former club FC Bayern. The German national players Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger were rested, as was Jude Bellingham, who was later substituted, for a long time. “Now it’s time to give 100 percent for Wednesday’s game and we still have 90 minutes to go to reach another final. There is no greater motivation than this and it is an opportunity to cap off a spectacular season “Ancelotti said. The first leg ended 2-2.
Next Saturday, in everyday league life, there will be a game against FC Granada, which like Cadiz is in danger of relegation. After that, says Ancelotti, nothing stands in the way of a party. “If we have to celebrate, we will do it next Sunday and our fans will understand that,” he said.