Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, believes that the Copa del Rey final match against Osasuna on Saturday may be his last. However, Ancelotti said on Friday that he has previously felt the same thing and been proven incorrect.
The 63-year-old Italian, who has won a number of trophies over his illustrious career with Los Blancos, AC Milan, Chelsea, and other clubs, divulged his strategy for approaching finals matches.
“Playing in a final is always exciting, and I always think before a final that, personally, it could be my last,” remarked Ancelotti before the match at La Cartuja in Seville. The match was between two teams that had reached the championship round.
“I thought that in 2003, and it turned out that it wasn’t the last; but, I think that now, it has a chance of being the last.
Ancelotti won his first Coppa Italia as a coach in 2003 with AC Milan. He went on to win four Champions League medals and various other cups during his illustrious career. Under Ancelotti’s leadership, Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey for the last time in 2014, when they defeated their archrivals Barcelona in the tournament’s championship game. In the second leg of the semi-final, Los Blancos defeated the Catalans by a score of 4-0 at Camp Nou to go to the championship match.
In recent years, Madrid has focused more of its emphasis on the Champions League than they have on other competitions, and as a result, they have won five of the previous nine editions of the tournament. Ancelotti has stated that his squad would have their whole attention on the Copa del Rey final, even though Madrid will be playing Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
Ancelotti was certain that “tomorrow we will go out there without thinking about what is happening the next day,” which was the plan for the following day. “We will compete with all of the vigor in the world in order to bring home another championship. The players have a strong desire to succeed.” In spite of the fact that they will soon face Pep Guardiola’s team, Ancelotti insisted that his players should still enjoy themselves in the event that they prevail.
When asked about his future in the wake of rumors linking him to the Brazilian national team, the coach reaffirmed the fact that his contract with Real Madrid will run out at the conclusion of the following season.
Ancelotti stated that midfield maestro Luka Modric was able to play against Osasuna after recovering from an injury; however, the Italian manager did not state whether or not the Croatian would start. Madrid is attempting to win the Spanish cup for the twentieth time. The head coach did state that David Alaba, an Austrian defender, was also fit and will be starting after having an issue with his calf.