Carlo Ancelotti hits back at Bernardo Silva after he called Real Madrid a ‘weird team’ following Manchester City’s Champions League exit… as his side prepare for Bayern Munich clash
- Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti responded to Bernardo Silva’s ‘weird’ claim
- Ancelotti’s side will face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League
- Get rid of it, Pep! Chris Wood didn’t miss chance after chance due to the drought of the field – Listen to the It all starts! podcast
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has fired back at Manchester City star Bernardo Silva after claiming the LaLiga side were a ‘weird team’ after being dumped out of the Champions League this month.
Reigning champions City were beaten 4-3 on penalties by Madrid after a 1-1 draw at the Etihad – with the scoreline being 4-4 - despite the home side dominating much of the second leg.
City had beaten Madrid in the semi-finals of last year’s competition – but lost to them at the same stage of the 2021/22 edition – and it prompted Silva to claim Madrid were a ‘weird’ side to play against due to their ability to create chances even when they are seemingly not having a good spell in the game.
“Real Madrid are a strange team,” he told TNT Sports. “Sometimes it seems like you’re in control of the game and out of nowhere they run twice [on the counter] and score two goals because their players are very good individually.
‘They are so fast and strong on the counter-attack that it is not easy to control them.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti fired back at Bernardo Silva after claiming his side were ‘weird’
Silva remained deflated after Madrid knocked City out of the Champions League quarter-finals despite dominating the match
‘If you attack with too many players, they run on the counter. If you don’t attack with many players, it feels like you’re not effective enough to attack them properly. So it’s difficult to make these little decisions in the game.’
But Ancelotti – whose side will play Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich in the semi-finals on Tuesday night – refuted Silva’s claims, insisting his team have simply shown they understand the ‘history’ of the competition.
“We are not strange,” he said before the match against Bayern. ‘We are a team that can show the history of the past in this competition.
‘I have nothing to say to Bernardo Silva. He’s a great, huge player and last year they made it to the final and now it’s up to us.’
Madrid is preparing for the match against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday
Silva played the full 90 minutes against Madrid in the first leg at the Bernabeu, which finished 3–3, before playing a further 90 minutes in the second leg.
The Portugal international has been one of City’s best players under Pep Guardiola this season with 11 goals and five assists in his bid to win a fourth straight Premier League title as well as the FA Cup.
Madrid is 11 points ahead of nearest rival Barcelona in the LaLiga. Ancelotti’s side know they can win the title this weekend if they beat Cadiz and Barca drop points against Valencia or Girona.
They face a Bayern side hurt after losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, with their star man Harry Kane bidding to win the first trophy of his career.
