Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti claims his hands-off approach to management has won him three Champions Leagues.
Los Blancos have seen campaigns under recent Coaches wrecked by numerous incidents both on and off the pitch, yet while their incumbent trainer admitted the club had asked him to be more abrasive in his demeanour, he responded with a telling statistical inference.
“I’m not thinking about [the Copa del Rey final]. I have nothing to say because we’re not in it,” the Italian said at a Press conference ahead of Madrid’s trip to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.
“I still have confidence [in this team]. We’re now at an important point in the season.
“We’re well positioned in the Champions League and La Liga. I have confidence in this team, we won titles last year and I’m confident we’ll have a very good season.
“I’ve seen my team work hard [in training] and prepare well for [Saturday’s] game. I’m used to criticism [regarding Isco’s substitution against Villarreal].
“Regardless of whether it’s the first week or the last, my attitude doesn’t change and my confidence in this team remains 100 percent.
“We want to start matches well with intensity, but we can’t always manage it. Athletic press well, so we’ll need intensity from the beginning.
“We need to crank up the pressure against Athletic. [Playing] at San Mames is always difficult, so we must play with maximum effort in order to get the three points.
“If we don’t win [La Liga, Barcelona and Atletico can. [On a lack of goals], we haven’t been efficient enough.
“We aren’t playing the ball from the back quickly enough and find it difficult to create chances when our opponents sit back.
“We have a good identity. We can’t always play with maximum intensity, but now we have to.
“It’s the key to winning titles and so far we’ve done very well and will continue doing very well.
“I’ve felt supported by the club since day one. Here, they ask me to adopt a strong approach, yet a lenient approach has allowed to win me three Champions Leagues.
“Everyone knows that these players are good. It may be that they’re not quite at 100 percent, but competition in the squad is important.”
