Ancelotti: “Modrić had to take the penalty, I don’t know what happened”

Following Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo at Balaídos on Friday night, coach Carlo Ancelotti faced the press in his usual post-match press conference. The Italian was questioned on a range of topics, but one of his most eye-catching responses was regarding the penalty which Rodrygo missed. Ancelotti said: “They are not free to choose the shooter. I don’t know what happened, Luka was supposed to take It and I don’t know what happened. The one who was supposed to take it was Vini but he wasn’t there. They chose Rodrygo, and I didn’t have time to say that it should have been Modrić”.

Ancelotti on his anger over the penalty

The coach would continue on that topic, admitting his anger with his players; “Am I angry? A little, yes. At that time it was difficult to communicate, I said it to Fede but there wasn’t time. We’ll look at it in the next few days.”

Ancelotti on attackers

Attacking players were at the heart of the key moments in this game and Ancelotti reflected on the stats by saying: “Jude continues to score and contribute. Vini had discomfort and we substituted him. We’ll see what he has in the next few hours, it’s a thigh strain”.

Ancelotti on Vinícius’ injury

One of the major concerns for Madridistas was the injury which forced Vinícius Júnior to be withdrawn on 18 minutes. Speaking on that, Ancelotti gave an update as he said: “I don’t think it is very serious. He wanted to continue because it is not a very serious thing. He wanted to continue and it bothered him. He won’t play against Getafe, but he will recover during the break. It’s a bit strange, because he had started very well, he seemed to be uncontrollable. Without him it was more difficult for us because Celta played well at the back. We didn’t find spaces and we had difficulties because of their good work in defence”.

Ancelotti on Kepa’s debut

Another highlight was the fact that Kepa made his debut in goal for Real Madrid, keeping a clean sheet in the process after an early Celta Vigo goal was ruled out by VAR. On his performance, Ancelotti said: “Kepa played well, it was a good all-round game. It was not a victory of quality, but of commitment. There were some bad things like Vini or the penalty, but we tried until the end. Kepa deserved to play. In these three games we have seen that we’re well covered in goal. In the next matches we will see”.

Ancelotti on the disallowed goal

Early on into his debut, Kepa came under pressure as Celta scored after three minutes but the effort was ruled out by VAR. Despite the controversial call, Ancelotti agreed with the decision, saying: “I saw a pull on Kepa’s shirt. I think the goal was correctly disallowed”.

Ancelotti on Bellingham

The winning goal was fourth of the season from Jude Bellingham, meaning he is two goals clear as the Pichichi of LaLiga after three games. On his form, Ancelotti said: “Goals are not his most important quality, but he is doing well, he moves well, he is intelligent and arrives at the right time in the right place. He has a great ability to find space.”

Ancelotti on the transfer window

Despite the action on the pitch, questions continued about potential transfer business as Real Madrid’s next game will come after the window has closed. On the topic, the coach explained: “We don’t need anyone in attack, we have it covered. There is the data, we have six goals without Karim, without Vini? We have resources up front. I thought about bringing on Brahim, but I wanted to maintain a balance to avoid surprises. This squad is showing that it is a complete squad. We won without Courtois, without Militão, without Karim and without Vini. The squad is well put together”.