Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room at Real Madrid City to assess the clash between Real Madrid and Sevilla on LaLiga matchday 18 Santiago Bernabeu (Sunday, 4:15 p.m. CET): “After several away games we are back home. It’s exciting to end the year in front of our fans and we want to end it on a high note. Sevilla are playing well and are competitive in every game, but we want to end the year with a win.”

“There are many happy moments because it was a fantastic year, unforgettable. We can see a repeat of this if we are all able to do our best. The squad is of an incredible standard. The European Cup was the happiest moment when we lifted the trophy after beating Borussia Dortmund. We didn’t lose many games, but the saddest moment was the defeat against Barcelona at the Bernabéu. I can’t ask Santa not to make further criticisms in 2025. Sometimes it is valuable, acceptable and you can learn from it.”

Summary of the year
“Given the difficulties we had, I would say it was excellent. We have won five titles and that is fantastic. Our goal next year will be the same: compete, fight and win the Champions League.”

Sophisticated calendar
“We could have gone on holiday after winning the Intercontinental Cup. We will play against opponents who are very competitive. The new coach is doing a great job and it will be difficult. It’s a risky game and we have to give the final push.”

Mbappe
“He has settled in pretty well now. He is showing good form and can still improve. He’s had some good performances, he’s recovering from his minor injury. He is motivated and happy to be here. He had to take this time to adjust, like everyone does, but he’s done that now.”

Fight for LaLiga
“It will be a much more competitive battle for the league than in recent years. In addition to Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​Atlético will also fight hard, they have the necessary resources to keep up. It will be entertaining until the end and the league could easily be won with under 90 points this year.”

Press conferences
“Doing the press conferences is entertaining, I enjoy it. About 10% of the questions you ask are somewhat inappropriate and difficult to answer. But basically I would say that we had a good time and the press conferences weren’t boring. The players’ schedule is the worst.”

Correction of details
“Sometimes we lose the ball unnecessarily given the quality of the team. We’re working on that because sometimes we tend to take risks when we shouldn’t.”

Full-back position
“Mendy has recovered and is ready for tomorrow. Alaba starts to train a little. After the break he will be back in the group and will be able to play again from mid-January. Both full-backs did an excellent job following the injuries to our starting full-backs Carvajal and Mendy. Lucas Vázquez and Fran García did a great job after several games and really helped the team. As for Valverde, I don’t plan on using him as a full-back except in emergencies. Raúl also gets through this because he can perform well in certain games.”

Trust in Vini Jr. and Kaká
“I gave them the trust. If you have a talented player and give him confidence, you can get the best out of him. You can’t instill confidence in every player in the same way. Sometimes you use a player when he’s not giving his best. That’s why it’s so hard to trust everyone. But if they ultimately have the quality to be the best in the world, then they can do it.”

Connection between Vini Jr., Rodrygo, Bellingham and Mbappé
“They didn’t play together too often because we had injuries to Rodrygo or Bellingham at times. But it looks like they really fit together well and adapt to each other’s characteristics. Sometimes Mbappé played on the left, sometimes Vini came in the middle and sometimes Bellingham fell to the left. I’m not going to lock four of them into a single position, but rather give them the freedom to find the right position.

“You have to try to find that mobility because it is a crucial aspect of our attacking game. I don’t ask Mbappé to get too involved in the build-up play because his talents lie in running behind the backs of defenders. All I ask of him is to find more consistency. That’s what we encourage him to do, that’s what he has to try and achieve. We have several players that can find him with that killer ball when he runs away from his man.”