Carlo Ancelotti: Still pressure on Real Madrid in Champions League
Wednesday 18 February 2015 22:57, UK
Carlo Ancelotti praised the performance of his Real Madrid side after their impressive win over Schalke, but admitted that there is no less pressure on the team despite 10 consecutive Champions League victories.
Madrid’s 2-0 victory puts them one step closer to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but for Ancelotti there is plenty of work to do.
He told Sky Sports: “The pressure is the same. Last year it was about La Decima, now is the talk of Undecima [an unprecedented 11th European title]. The pressure is the same.”
Ancelotti’s side went ahead through Cristiano Ronaldo, before a wonderful effort from defender Marcelo doubled their lead. The second goal led to wild celebrations from the Madrid bench, with the manager joining the players on the pitch.
“It is unusual for Marcelo to score with his right foot. For this, I was surprised," he added.
“After the first goal, the game was easier and we didn’t need to push to score. We controlled well, the whole game. At the end, the victory is good for us.”
Gareth Bale has been booed by some Real Madrid fans in recent matches, but Ancelotti was quick to praise his player’s performance in Germany.
“The performance of Gareth was good. He helped the team, he came back a lot of times. He’s in a good condition now. He tried to do something up front, but the pitch was not so good, so all of the strikers had some problems.”
