Ancelotti: “Militão’s injury is more serious than Benzema’s”

After Real Madrid overcame Valencia 2-0 on Thursday night, cutting the gap to Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga Santander table, Carlo Ancelotti shared his thoughts in the post-match press conference. Analysing the match as a whole he said: “We had a good match, with a slightly worse first half than the second. But, the second half, when the opponent reduced their intensity, we made the most of our opportunities.”

Ancelotti on the chants for Ceballos

The crowd chanted for Dani Ceballos to renew his contract and the coach spoke about that ovation, saying: “Ceballos is doing very well and everyone can see that, the fans and the club. His contract will have to be sorted out between him and the club. Everyone knows what I think. We’re managing this midfield transition well and it’ll be like this until the end of the season. We’re giving minutes to players who are behind Kroos and Modrić, but we’re keeping in mind that they’re both still fundamental players for this team.”

Ancelotti on the Gabriel challenge on Vinícius

Discussing the nasty Gabriel foul on Vinícius, that earned the Valencia defender a red card, Ancelotti said: “Vinícius is doing well, but he can still get better I think. He wears his opponents out. The red card challenge came from a moment of frustration that can happen in football. It was an ugly challenge, but I don’t think Gabriel is usually that kind of player.”

Ancelotti on the injuries to Militão and Benzema

There was some bad news for Real Madrid, though, as both Éder Militão and Karim Benzema suffered injuries and had to be substituted. Providing an immediate update on the pair, the coach said: “I think Militão’s is a little more serious than that of Karim. They are both great professionals because they asked me to be substituted. We’ll evaluate them both tomorrow. Injuries happen at this stage of the season.”

Ancelotti on Camavinga at left-back

On this most recent Eduardo Camavinga performance at left-back, he said: “Camavinga has surprised everyone a little with the way he is playing in that position, with his attacking and defensive output. He plays well and comes inside and links up well with Vini, with that partnership working very well. We’ll see for the future. I think Alaba should be back for Sunday.”

Ancelotti on Rodrygo being back on the bench

Rodrygo was back on the bench for this game, and Ancelotti explained that decision saying: “Sometimes I leave Rodrygo on the bench because I think he can make more of a difference off the bench. He has changed a lot of matches and his work off the bench won us a Champions League.”