Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Real Madrid will not resort to squad rotation in light of the Clasico against Barcelona later this month.
The Coach has come in for criticism from some media quarters for his tendency to stray away from rotating his squad, a topic which has escalated in importance as Los Blancos’ showpiece at Camp Nou on March 22 edges closer.
“Villarreal have a lot of quality, are very well organised and have quality players,” the Italian told reporters.
“They beat Atletico [Madrid], did well against Barcelona and come into this match at a very high level.
“We need our best team [to play] and the best of it [on the pitch]. [Marcelino] is a terrific Coach.
“I really like his methods and believe he’s one of the best [Coaches] around, not just in Spain.
“They arrive [at the Santiago Bernabeu] physically fresh and will seek an intense performance, but so do we.
“I have no intention of rotating. This team are fresh and have been training well.
“We have three more League games until Barcelona, which are just as important because we’re playing for the same points.
“Your [journalists] work is very difficult. There’s criticism when I rotate and criticism when I don’t. I don’t know how to avoid criticism.
“If [the players left their private dinner on Thursday] late, it’s their problem, not mine.
“They didn’t ask for my permission. I don’t see why a player has to ask for permission to make dinner.
“It’s good for morale and I’m glad they had dinner. They returned to training on Friday without any problems.”
