Ancelotti: "We have to be smart against Cacereño"

"I don't want to think that last year is unrepeatable and, why not, improve it in 2023," he said on the eve of the Cup debut.

MADRID, 2 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, affirmed that against Cacereño the white team has to be "ready" and called for the "fight" and "commitment" to overcome the debut in the Copa del Rey 2022-23, in which he announced that he will rest players like Karim Benzema, Vinicius, Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Ferland Mendy or David Alaba, among others.

"Tomorrow is a game where we have to be smart. It's hard to think that you only win games with quality. You have to have quality and commit and fight. The Cup is not the most important competition, it is the Champions League, I won the last one , but because of the shield you have to respect all the competitions. It's one more title to try to win," he said at a press conference in Ciudad Real Madrid.

Ancelotti justified the absence of Courtois and Carvajal in the morning training session this Monday due to "small physical problems" and announced that they will not play at the Príncipe Felipe de Cáceres. He also reported that he will rest Toni Kroos, David Alaba, Vinicius Jr., Mendi and Karim Benzema.

On the other hand, the homegrown players Sergio Arribas, Nico Paz, Marvel and Álvaro Rodríguez will travel, "players who are doing very well" with Castilla. "The work that Raúl is doing is very good. The youngsters are progressing very quickly, and not only these but also Mario Martín and Rafa Marín. The youth academy is producing players who can be useful for the future of Real Madrid", he celebrated.

Ancelotti reiterated that the insults to Vinicius at Nuevo Zorrilla in Valladolid "are not a problem for LaLiga" or to apply "more sanctions". "I cannot talk about an issue that does not have to exist like racism or xenophobia. It is a problem of society and against racism, tolerance has to be zero. It is a cultural problem, of a society that does not have the education that has to have. Racism is something bigger and very serious," he said.

Regarding the possible renewal of Dani Ceballos, the Real Madrid coach said that he sees the footballer "connected", but that it is a "personal matter" that the player has to "evaluate with the club". "Kroos? I think Kroos is quite clear about it. As a fan I see it as impossible for him to stop playing. He has said that he wants to finish his career at Real Madrid and hopefully he can continue", he wished.

Regarding the bus trip to Cáceres, Ancelotti joked that "it is a time to enjoy the wonderful country" that is Spain, and he is confident that the break caused by the World Cup in Qatar will not be like that of Christmas 2014.

"I don't know what's going to happen in 2023 because I'm not a magician, but I'm excited that we're going to have a good time. That 2023 is like 2022 wouldn't be bad. I don't want to think that last year is unrepeatable and, why not, improve it because with the current squad we have fewer doubts than in January 2022," he said.