Carlo Ancelotti: "Modric should return in about a month"

Carlo Ancelotti was first asked about how this week will change in terms of preparation with no games to worry about in the middle of it:

It's different since we usually don't have a lot of weeks to train at the fullest. We have the chance to prepare our next game better and work with normal training sessions.

His thoughts on the game and Karim Benzema's ridiculous assist:

It was a very good game for us. We weren't very intense at the start, but we played last Thursday, so our start was a bit slow. Our second half was a lot more intense. I like the team. They were very intense and smart and fixed many issues in the second half. Karim's assist was spectacular.

Carlo talked about Karim's importance in today's win:

I think everyone played well, but Karim's play on that first goal was the key to the match. It was extraordinary.

Ancelotti was asked about closing the first half of the season leading La Liga:

The first part of the season went great. We didn't start that well, but then had a terrific streak. The team is still motivated about this competition. We are in a very good position and we have to keep going.

On his men not looking as intense as they usually do this January:

We were a bit more intense before Christmas. The team is slowly improving. Some players, like James, wasn't as fit at the start of the month, but he played great today. The team is slowly returning to their best shape.

On the team's general effort and efficiency:

Every goal was a collective effort. First we had Benzema's assist to Cristiano and then James' two assists. Ronaldo and Bale were great at finishing plays, which was our main problem in the first half.

On Bale's condition after a rough tackle and when can we expect Modric to return:

Gareth is fine. It was just a knock but he has no problem. Modric should return in about a month. He is recovering well and has started running and doing individual workouts, but we still need a month to have him back.

Finally, the Italian talked about the team's overall performance:

We played a very smart game. We didn't take any risks on the back. We controlled the game well, but we might need to improve our pressing and our tempo was a bit slow during the first half.