Ancelotti: "It's important for us and for Iker to keep a clean sheet"

Carlo Ancelotti started talking about his general thoughts of the game and that well-earned win by his team:

We won a very difficult game against a team that played well and made things very tough for us. The team controlled the game, suffering when they had to suffer and playing when they had to play. In the end, I think it was a good game. We showed a really good attitude. We deserved to win.

On Karim Benzema, who has been unfairly criticized the last few weeks:

I think the key play of the game was our second goal. Karim was really important there, with that fantastic pass to Cristiano.  He deserves a lot of credit for his great performance even if he didn't score. Sometimes it's more important to pass the ball than to score.

Managing Madrid's Lucas Navarrete asked Carlo to share his thoughts on Asier Illarramendi's performance:

To avoid any risks we used Illarramendi, who is a better defender than James, to help us control the game more. He showed he's living a good moment, showing great condition too, and even if he only played a few minutes, he helped us end the game.

On his 4-3-3 formation and how vulnerable it can be:

On the 4-3-3 it's obviously harder to cover the flanks, but sometimes we have to take those risks. When the opponent's wingers are pushing, it opens up more spaces for Cristiano or Bale on the counter. It's a risk we evaluate and one we're able to control.

On Iker Casillas' good performance:

He had a very good game. It's important for us and for him to keep our goal unbeaten. It's just our second clean sheet in La Liga, but it's good for Iker after his performance today.