Real Madrid warned not to solely focus on Erling Haaland by Carlo Ancelotti
‘We’re NOT just thinking of Haaland!’: Carlo Ancelotti warns Real Madrid stars that Man City has more to offer than goalscoring machine Erling… as he praises the talent of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez ahead of the semi-final second leg
- Erling Haaland is the man Real Madrid know they should retire on Wednesday
- Manager Carlo Ancelotti, however, is hesitant to focus too much on one player
- Haaland was well chained in the first leg but he has scored 52 goals so far this season
Real Madrid cannot afford to schedule only Erling Haaland or they will be torn apart by the rest of Pep Guardiola’s side, Carlo Ancelotti claims.
The Real Madrid boss was questioned about his tactical plan to stop 52-goal scorer Haaland in Wednesday night’s decisive semi-final.
But for the Italian, City are brimming with game winners and focusing only on Haaland means bad news for his defenders.
“We value a team, it’s everyone, not just one player,” he said.
‘We’re not just thinking of Haaland…but [Kevin] De Bruyne? And [Ilkay] Gundogan? And [Riyad] Mahrez? It is difficult.’
Carlo Ancelotti addressed the media ahead of Real Madrid’s semi-final second leg at Manchester City
Ancelotti said focusing only on Erling Haaland (right) is a mistake, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (left) among a host of City stars who could win Wednesday night’s game.
Real Madrid did a number on Haaland in the first leg, so much so that he was pummeled with a 3/10 by French newspaper L’Equipe in the aftermath.
But Haaland is having a historic season and he will be looking for revenge for the first leg coming up on Wednesday night.
Real are the defending champions in the Champions League, but Ancelotti doesn’t expect his experience to pay off too much in a game between two sides that are so evenly matched.
“Courage and personality will be very important, because the pressure will be very high,” Ancelotti added.
“They must have the personality necessary to show off their quality. This aspect, if you are not in control, your quality decreases.
“I want a team that reads the game well, that knows there will be suffering, which is normal in a game like this. And then bite when the opponent is having a hard time.’
City want to continue their bid for a famous Treble and face the toughest assignment left in the confrontation with Real, it feels.
For Luka Modric, a five-time Champions League winner, there is a comfort he and his teammates have that he hopes City’s stars, who have yet to win this tournament, miss when the game gets tense.
“It’s a huge game… and we’re comfortable with it,” said the former Ballon d’Or winner.
Five-time Champions League winner Luka Modric (center) enters the game relaxed
“We love the Champions League because it’s our tournament. The feeling is one of comfort in these matches and that’s why we’ve won so many times because the confidence in ourselves is huge. We believe in our quality. We will give 100%.’
Asked if City are better this time than last season when they lost to Real over two legs in this phase, Modric added: “In the first leg they were better. But we grew in the game and took the lead. But they equalized and it was 1-1.
“We knew that this draw would not be decided in the first leg. And here we are.
“We feel good about something that’s 50-50 and it’s decided by small details. We must be focused and united.’
