Carlo Ancelotti is not at all happy with the 7 competitions he will have to play this season. In a press conference prior to the league debut against Mallorca, the Italian coach spoke about the tight schedule, his expectations for this campaign and Kylian Mbappé's debut in the national championship, in which they hope to retain the title.
"Tomorrow the League starts, with all the hope of retaining the title. Another coach has arrived there, very experienced and very capable. We will have to fight to win," said Ancelotti. "It is not yet known how many competitions we must play, there are two (Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup) that are not clear. But we are going to compete in everything we can, in all the games. Nobody here is talking about seven, we are talking about games that we must play. Above all, this Saturday's. There is no other thought. The calendar demands this. With this squad, we can certainly compete for everything."
The large number of games that will be played this season will force the coach to make various changes to his starting 11 to avoid injuries. One of the strategies they plan to implement is individual holidays. During these, international players could have a week off in the middle of the season to avoid overloads and physical problems.
Madrid wants to defend the League title
Regarding the campaign that will begin this Saturday, August 17, Ancelotti commented that "this League has to be fought for with all the teams, the quality of Spanish football is evident. Not only because of how the League is played, but because of what the Spanish have been able to do in the Euro Cup and the Games. It is quality football. Barcelona, Atleti, which has reinforced itself well... We have to fight for everything, it will be like that. It will be a fun League, the first games have been very good, with a lot of play, few fouls, few interruptions. We have started well and we have to continue along this line. And the semi-automatic offside clarifies the refereeing a little more, it will help us a lot. Hopefully it will be a fun League, especially for us."
When asked about Mbappé, the coach was happy with the first game he played and that they are now trying to make him feel comfortable so that he can adapt. "He has come into the dressing room very well, with humility, very serious... He has started very well," he said. The French striker is expected to be part of the starting eleven against Mallorca.
There will be no more signings
In the press conference, Ancelotti said that "the squad is closed" and that all that remains is to wait for the transfer window to close. "We think that Alaba will return well. And we have young players who can play. We have had the bad luck of Joan's injury. Asencio and Jacobo can contribute," therefore, it can be speculated that Madrid will not look for another centre-back and that the arrival of Alphonso Davies this summer can be ruled out.
Finally, he spoke about his expectations of a possible sextuple: "We think about reality, especially the players, they are the ones who are going to play the matches. And they know when it is difficult to win. A match demands quality, sacrifice, thinking too far ahead is not good for anything. Obviously we cannot think about what will happen in May, we must work every day to get to May and win every match," he concluded.