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Ancelotti fielded questions from the media at UCLA on Wednesday, touching on multiple players' fitness and the Gareth Bale transfer speculation.
Check out this video of Ancelotti discussing Bale: Ancelotti Addresses Current Bale Situation
In response to questions regarding Bale, The Italian manager informed the media that, "the club is speaking and negotiating to find a solution and we will see what happens... There is nothing new." Ancelotti added, "I have never spoken to [Bale]. Habitually, I do not usually speak to players who are not from my team and it would not be fair to do so."
Check out this video of Ancelotti addressing his philosophy about speaking with Bale and players from other teams (in Spanish): Ancelotti Has Not Talked to Bale
Although Bale commanded the most media attention, Ancelotti was also asked about Borussia Dortmuned striker Robert Lewandowski. The Italian manager responded by saying, "Lewandowski is a world-class striker. This is normal. But we have a world-class striker. Ronaldo is the best striker in the world... There are a lot of fantastic players in the world, but we don't need."
Ancelotti also addressed the current squad, touching on the fitness of Alonso, Varane, and Illarra. While Illarra has started running and Varane has continued with his recovery, the Italian mentioned that Alonso is recovering well and he hopes that the Basque midfielder can play soon.
When asked about Ronaldo's positioning in comparison to the way Mourinho used the Portuguese star, Ancelotti replied by saying that the Madrid No. 7 should be comfortable playing and that he does not need to change his position. The Italian also mentioned that Ronaldo does not have to do as much defensive work, but can be focused and ready for when the team has the ball.
Ancelotti answered my question at his press conference on Wednesday. I asked, "We've seen Isco and Di Maria play on the wings or in more advanced positions in previous seasons, in this preseason we have seen them in the midfield three. What is the tactical thinking behind this move?
The Italian manager responded by saying, "We don't have a system of play that's definite. We have a squad and we can play different systems, of course we have players like Isco and Di Maria that can play different positions on the pitch. It's not so important the system that we're going to use. It's very important the principle of play."
Check out Carlo Ancelotti's full-length press conference here (2 parts):
Carlo Ancelotti Press Conference Part 1
Carlo Ancelotti Press Conference Part 2
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