Copa del Rey: *El Clasico* Barcelona vs Real Madrid discussion

"Real Madrid take on Barcelona in the Mestalla in the final of the Copa del Rey and Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press before the game, regarding which he said the following: “When you play in a final you cannot lose and we have to do everything to win it. In a final anything can happen and we hope to be the best”. He recognised that “Di María will play” and regarding Illarra or Isco in the starting line-up, he revealed: “I have decided, but I'm not going to say”.

“It's a final. We are not approaching it with the intention of blocking out the other team, which is very strong. We're going to try and play our own game with our quality and our brand of football. We've worked all year to try and play in a certain way and we'll try and do it tomorrow. It is the only solution we have to winning this final”.

The two league matches against Barcelona
“In the second game in the Bernabéu we played very well. We competed well, we were winning and we made small mistakes. We have to concentrate throughout the match. I'm very happy with the second match against Barcelona and we have to do this throughout the 90 minutes. We've looked at the defensive errors we've made and we have worked towards eradicating them for tomorrow”.

The tactical approach
“The goal is to work as a unit. We train for that. There is no problem motivating the players for tomorrow, they are very excited. I can see a lot of desire in this game. I think we have planned well for it and I'm sure we're going to play well. We try to defend together. The best defensive work is a collaboration between players. Sacrifice and good defensive organisation. We do not have a specific marking plan for Messi”.
WE HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THIS TEAM, WHICH HAS ALWAYS RESPONDED WELL TO ABSENTEES.
“This morning I found out that Cristiano Ronaldo will not be there. We're missing a lot of players but I think we can play very well. We're losing a player of enormous quality. But the team has always responded well when Ronaldo is out, which motivates everyone. We have played the matches without him very well by working harder, running harder and playing together”.

Quality on the pitch
“The team's approach is the same with or without Ronaldo. It's a final and we have to do our own thing. Obviously we have to consider the quality of the opposing team but the plan for the match is to try and get all of our quality on the pitch. The decision is that he is not available to play because it is a risk to put him on the field. We still have very important matches this season. He will be working tomorrow and then he'll go to Valencia to watch the final”.

“Ronaldo has not rested because he was not in a position to rest. We have not seen any signs of a tired player. If he were, he would not have played. Ronaldo has reached a time in the season that many players reach. We were careful with Cristiano as we have always tried to be careful with all the players”.

Barcelona's latest match
“It is a team that continues to work well and in recent matches it has dominated possession of the ball, which is its most significant quality. To win this match we have to prevent this and get our own possession of the ball. We have to consider the opposing team's possession is very good”.

A new Clásico
“All matches against Barcelona are important. It's a Clásico and that makes it even more important tomorrow. It is the first final we have, we are aiming for two more titles and we hope to win it”.
“At the moment I'm very happy because I am lucky enough to be one of the key men in the match. I have a great team and I'm very happy. I hope to feel the same tomorrow after the match”."

Zealous wrote:Isco deserves to start if you ask me.

Iker Casillas had the following to say about the final: “The side have had a great Copa and we want to put the icing on the cake in Valencia. It will be a vibrant game, with great players and we are confident that we can win and in our way of playing. We believe that we can do it”.

“The job that the side has to do is what we've been doing all season. Eight months ago we wanted to be in the fight for every title and we are on the right lines. We are in a final, a Champions League semi-final and in the league we will fight until the end to win it. Now the focus is on this final, we are approaching it with the same desire we have had so far”.

Absentees for Real Madrid
“It's not just Ronaldo, but all the players who aren't available: Jesé, Arbeloa, Marcelo, Cristiano... But it's not worth thinking about those who can't play, we must think about those who can and those who the boss thinks are the most suitable and the best team to win the title. It would be great if we could have the whole squad, but because of the issue with the schedule, injuries take their toll at certain points of the season and that is what is happening to us now”.

The cup win in 2011
“I remember it as a vibrant and attractive game, and a very passionate one with two sides battling it out for the title. We had a tough season with a defeat in the Camp Nou and it spurred us on to win the Copa. It was a great game and I would not change a thing. Everyone enjoyed the match and celebrated it”.
WE HAVE TO FORGET ABOUT WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE AND ONLY FOCUS ON THE FINAL.
“Personally I'm not buying into Barcelona's last week, despite the defeats in La Liga and the Champions League. Things are different for both sides, and anything can happen in a final. We are on a good run and we're trying to get back into the fight for the league, but that has nothing to do with tomorrow”.

Confidence for the final
“The side is ready. Maybe we didn't have good results against big sides and at key moments, but the league is a tournament in which you play 19 other sides. The side is solid”.

Mateu Lahoz
“He's a good referee, I've always thought so, he does things his way and his style is different, he is a ref who lets you play. I have nothing to say about referees and I'm not going to make negative comments, quite the opposite. I am not going to fight the same war every year”.

Headlines
“I don't like to hog the headlines. But I understand that being at Real Madrid means you are a point of opinion and you have to cope with it. I'm not complaining. I don't like it and it would be great if everything went well tomorrow and all the Madrid fans and the whole team were on the front pages. I think we deserve that headline for the season we're having”.

The oppositions' performances
“I'm not going to worry about how Messi is playing. I'm worried about my own men, which is the most important thing. There is no need for us to worry about our rivals (...) the gaffer is approaching the match to win it. We cannot speculate or look back thinking that we have lost the league. It's a different match and what we and the gaffer have to do is approach it so that what happens tomorrow benefits Madrid”.

His statements regarding Busquets
“I already spoke about that the other day. I'm not going to get into it again. If I said something the other day, I don't care if someone has responded. I'm not going to add fuel to the fire and create more debate”.

Le Samourai wrote:Are we conserving energy with Bayern in mind or something?