Ancelotti: Ronaldo injury 'not serious'

Carlo Ancelotti has eased fears over the fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo, revealing that the problem that forced the forward off in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Valladolid is "not serious".

The Portugal international lasted just nine minutes of the game at the Jose Zorrilla, sparking fears that he had suffered a recurrence of his recent hamstring problem.

However, Ancelotti has soothed initial concerns that Ronaldo could end up missing the conclusion of the Liga season and the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on May 24.

"We'll see in the next few days how Cristiano is, but it's not a serious problem," the Blancos boss told reporters.

"He was not comfortable, though, so I changed him.

"I don't think Pepe or [Angel] Di Maria [who also picked up knocks] have serious problems either. But we'll see."

Ancelotti was more perturbed by the way in which Madrid threw away a one-goal lead against Valladolid to leave their Liga title hopes in tatters.

Sergio Ramos had given the visitors the lead with a fine free kick but Juan Ignacio Martinez's men snatched a crucial point for their survival bid thanks to an 85th-minute equaliser from Humberto Osorio.

"We controlled the game for 70 minutes but then we lost it in the last 20," Ancelotti lamented.

"It was not a question of attitude. Iker [Casillas, Madrid's goalkeeper] had not had a save to make.

"We defended too deep and then defended a set-piece poorly and lost the game."

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Ancelotti : We have good chances to win La Liga

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted his side would "carry on looking forward optimistically" after getting their season back on track with a 5-0 hammering of Rayo Vallecano.

Losses to Barcelona and Sevilla - the first time Madrid have suffered successive defeats in the Primera Division since the 2008/09 campaign - over the previous seven days had badly hit their title hopes.

But they returned to winning ways in style on Saturday night thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale (two), Daniel Carvajal and substitute Alvaro Morata.

And Ancelotti promised his team would not give up in their remaining fixtures.

"Naturally, this win is important," he said on Real's official website. "Today we reacted well following two losses. We played a great game, with a good attitude on the pitch.

"This serves to prepare well for the next game. In the last two games we made errors at the back. Today we didn't and we used the counter-attack well. The back four were good."

Atletico Madrid and Barca also won on Saturday to maintain the status quo at the top of La Liga, with Real three points adrift of Los Rojiblancos and two behind their Catalan arch rivals.

"We have to carry on," Ancelotti continued. "It's an important part of the season for all of us. We could be better, given we lost twice, but physically we're good.

"Also, we reacted well and we carry on looking forward optimistically. If we win all the games that we have left, at least we win the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. We just have to believe in ourselves and be positive."

Ancelotti stressed his team would be focusing only on themselves during the run-in and would not be distracted by what Atletico and Barca get up to.

"They could affect us a little bit - it's normal," he added. "We must be focused on our game and nothing else.

"Maybe those who didn't play (on Saturday) were listening to the results, but those who were going to play weren't thinking about other sides."

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Ancelotti: Madrid don't need Vidal

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that his side do not need to sign Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal.

The Chilean has been linked with a variety of clubs after leading the Bianconeri to two straight Serie A titles, most recently the Liga leaders and their arch rivals Barcelona.

However, Ancelotti has denied that Juve director Beppe Marotta came to visit Madrid's training centre to thrash out a deal for the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

"He came to see the sports centre," he told La Stampa.

"In midfield we won't take anyone. We don't need anyone and [Sami] Khedira will return."

The Italian also voiced his admiration for Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti, but says that too much should not be expected of the youngster.

"He doesn't miss anything. He has personality and isn't afraid, but he shouldn't play because he is young. At Madrid, I have Jese, who is a phenomenon, but we have many champions."

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Marco Simone : Ancelotti will have more success than Mourinho

Former Italy international Marco Simone has backed Carlo Ancelotti to enjoy more success at Real Madrid than Jose Mourinho during his time at the Liga giants.

Ancelotti replaced Mourinho at the helm prior to the start of the 2013-14 campaign after the Portuguese had left Madrid for Chelsea following a turbulent few months during which he reportedly fell out with a number of first-team players within the squad.

Simone believes that his compatriot's ability to deal with conflicts will prove to be vital in the Spanish capital and has backed him to perform better than Mourinho as a result.

"Ancelotti will definitely be a success at Madrid. Coaching Real Madrid is easy in one sense and difficult in another," Simone was quoted as saying by Marca.

"It's easy because you have players like Cristiano who, even if the system isn't working, can win you matches on their own.

"It's difficult because you've got to have what it takes to deal with a very tricky group. He knows how to handle the big egos you get at a club like Real Madrid.

"Ancelotti will have more success than Mourinho. I have a lot of time for Mourinho and I'm a big fan of his personality, but he finds it hard to back down once a conflict breaks out."

Mourinho guided Madrid to three domestic trophies during his three-year spell, although he was unable to steer them beyond the semi-finals of the Champions League.

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Ancelotti hits back at Ozil

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has hit back at Mesut Ozil in the wake of the Arsenal midfielder's comments that the Italian was one of the main reasons behind his decision to leave the Liga giants during the summer.

The Germany international recently stated that he left Madrid because he felt Ancelotti did not believe in him.

However, the former PSG boss has insisted that the 25-year-old opted to move on due to the stiff competition for places instead.

"Ozil wasn't comfortable. I knew he'd been speaking with another club because he wanted to leave,  Ancelotti told Onda Cero.

"Mesut understood that he had competition, that he wouldn't be able to play every game, and 'I'm off' was his answer.

"I prefer to have [Angel] Di Maria for the team's balance. Di Maria is better than Ozil for group dynamics."

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Ancelotti dismisses Blatter apology

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti feels Sepp Blatter's apology to Cristiano Ronaldo is of little value as he says the damage has already been done.

Blatter, 77, recently made some ill-advised remarks about the Portugal international when comparing him to Lionel Messi, leading to angry reactions from Madrid and Ronaldo.

Fifa's president has since offered his apologies for his comments, but Ancelotti is not impressed and believes the Swiss should have known better.

"Blatter's apology? The damage has been done. Sometimes it's better to think before speaking. Maybe count to 10," Ancelotti stated at a press conference, before praising Ronaldo's attitude.

"Cristiano is a very professional and serious player. He gives everything in every game. I can't ask any more from him."

The Italian coach then went on to discuss his starting XI for this weekend's game against Rayo Vallecano and revealed that he will make a number of changes to the team that beat Sevilla 7-3 in midweek, with the Champions League clash against Juventus in his thoughts.

"I'm going to make some rotations, so some players who didn't play against Sevilla will play on Saturday," he continued.

"Raphael Varane is a little tired. He's not going to play, so he can be ready for Tuesday. Xabi Alonso will start tomorrow."

Alonso made his first appearance of the season against los Rojiblancos after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

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Ancelotti : Ronaldo deserves Ballon D'or

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes it is Cristiano Ronaldo's time to win the Ballon d'Or this year, ahead of Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.

The Portuguese star has played second fiddle to Barcelona ace Messi since winning the prize for the first time back in 2008, with the Argentine claiming the last four titles in a row, but Ancelotti believes he deserves to win the latest crown for the all-round impact he has on the Spanish giants.

"It's Cristiano's moment to win it ahead of Messi and Ribery," Ancelotti told TV programme El Larguero. "He has surprised me the most with his professionalism. He's very serious, he has amazing attention to detail. It's that which helps us the most - he doesn't just score."

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Who would be happy by staying in the bench?

The Italian coach , Carlo Ancelotti tells to the media that he is glad that Mesut Ozil is not happy.

Mesut Ozit was left out of the starting XI vs Athletic Bilbao , where Los Blancos won 3-1 by 2 goals of Isco and Ronaldo scoring once.

"I'm glad that Mesut isnt happy. Who would be happy by staying in the bench? Its good that he isn't happy as I dont like players that are happy to stay at bench. " said Ancelotti to the reporters.

Isco played a starring role in Ozil's absence with two goals, and the Spain starlet was thrilled at the reception he received from the home faithful following his display.

"If Mesut works more harder , there will always be a place for him in the STARTING XI"

Mesut Ozil have made 104 appearances with Real Madrid , scoring 19 goals.

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