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It wasn't pretty, but Ancelotti's men were able to get the win against Xátiva to advance to the next round of Copa del Rey.
Ancelotti admitted his team wasn't brilliant: "We started playing well but after the 2-0 we didn't play as good. Both our pace and attitude changed in the second half."
On preparing the team for this match: "It wasn't easy to prepare this game. We changed a lot of things. Players that don't play often need more minutes to be in ideal condition."
When he went in for Illarramendi, Xabi Alonso, who's new deal with the team is still in the talks, got one of the loudest reactions from the crowd in the entire game. Ancelotti: "Maybe that will help to keep Xabi Alonso here. People love him and that kind of reaction is good for him."
On Ángel Di María's performance: "Di María played well overall. He helped set up the first goal and scored the second. Unfortunately, his second half wasn't as good, just as the rest of the team."
Ancelotti spoke a lot about the team's younger players. Some, like Jesé, were really good. Others, like Álvaro Morata, not so much. Still, Ancelotti knows it's part of a process: "Young players need work. It's not easy to play for Real Madrid. Morata, like the rest of the young players, needs to work and be smart. We need everybody. One game might not be so good but they have to keep working so they can be ready when they are given another chance."
About Jesé: "It's ok that neither Jesé nor Morata scored tonight. Jesé gave the assist on the first goal. The important thing is they can work for the team. Jesé's assist was very unselfish."
He had a few words for Casemiro as well: "Casemiro is a player with a lot of talent that needs to work to reach Real Madrid's standards. He's getting better and he's playing very well."
Real Madrid's next opponent in Copa del Rey is Osasuna. Needless to say, Osasuna is a much more complicated challenge than Xátiva. Ancelotti says they can't play the same way again: "Copa del Rey is not a tournament for young players. We want to win the cup and we need our best players to win. We're going to use a different lineup against Osasuna."
Carletto also shared the status of Luka Modric: "Modric is ready. He doesn't have any problems and he'll be ready for Sunday."
Finally, he praised his opponent: "Xátiva worked a lot and their attitude was really good in both games. They are a very organized team."
