Carlo Ancelotti is unconcerned by his Real Madrid team’s form but admits they must rediscover winning ways in today’s home clash with Espanyol.
– Carlo Ancelotti blames Real Madrid form on mental state of players
– Luis Enrique denies Lionel Messi row, insists job is safe
Los Blancos saw their 22-game winning run come to an end with last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Valencia and then suffered a midweek cup setback as they lost 2-0 against local rivals Atletico.
The Italian boss is still confident in his team’s abilities ahead of their first home game of 2015, saying: “I don’t think we have a problem, but we have to begin another positive run against Espanyol.
“After 22 victories it’s natural that people look for reasons, but I know my team and the seriousness of my players. The dressing room has a lot of desire to start winning again.”
Ancelotti also rejected suggestions that his team’s recent losses were caused by physical tiredness after a busy run of fixtures, including the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco and a trip to Dubai during the Christmas break to face AC Milan in a showpiece friendly.
Instead, he suggested a relaxation in the players’ attitude could be the cause of their slow start to the new calendar year, saying: “We are not in optimum mental condition following the holiday period and we haven’t found the rhythm that we finished the year with.
“That’s all it is – physically, we are doing really well. We must play with a little more intensity.”
There will be changes in Ancelotti’s back four today, with Sergio Ramos resting a minor hamstring strain and Dani Carvajal suspended. Toni Kroos is also nursing a niggle and could be replaced by Sami Khedira or Asier Illarramendi.
One definite starter, however, is Cristiano Ronaldo, who will look to add to his astonishing tally of 26 goals in 16 league games.
The Portuguese star was rested for the midweek cup loss at Atletico but Ancelotti moved to calm fears that he has suffered a recurrence of the knee injuries which dogged him throughout much of 2014.
Today’s visitors to the Bernabeu, Espanyol, have endured a mixed season, sitting in 10th place following last weekend’s disappointing home loss against surprise package Eibar.
The Catalan club will be missing Lucas Vazquez, who is spending the season on loan with Espanyol from Madrid, due to the terms of the loan agreement between the clubs.
Enrique defiant after Barca’s supporters show their frustration
Despite enduring an uncomfortable evening on the sidelines as crisis-torn Barcelona established a virtually unassailable lead over Elche in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, Luis Enrique continues to believe he can lead the Catalan club to success.
Even a 5-0 victory wasn’t enough to fully pacify the Nou Camp’s smallest crowd of the season – just over 27,000 – a significant number of whom repeatedly jeered the under-fire boss throughout the encounter.
Enrique has fallen foul of the Nou Camp boo-boys after a mediocre run of form, including a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad last weekend, and reports of a spectacular bust-up with star player Lionel Messi.
The Argentine ace was reputedly furious after being left out of the starting 11 for the loss in San Sebastian, while a training ground confrontation last Friday is also believed to have greatly contributed to the ill-feeling.
Enrique maintained his position of refusing to comment on the reports, though, saying: “I’m not going to stir up the controversy any further.”
He did, however, attempt to project a positive outlook about the team’s prospects for the remainder of the campaign, claiming: “Maybe I am naïve, but I believe that our fans have faith in us.
“I am hyper-motivated and very confident that we are going to give it everything we have this season.”
And he claimed to be unconcerned about being the target of the crowd’s whistles, saying: “The only thing I care about is that they support the players.”
Striker Rodrigo Moreno wary of Celta but backs in-form Los Che
Valencia forward Rodrigo Moreno feels they are back to their best following a mini-slump but knows they could still come unstuck against free-falling Celta Vigo tonight if they are not fully focused.
Los Che picked up just one point from three Primera Division matches at the end of November but since then have recorded five wins and two draws from seven league and cup matches.
That included a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid last weekend – ending the European champions’ 22-match winning streak – which left Valencia within five points of the league leaders.
The east coast club will now be expected to notch another win when they go to out-of-form Celta, but Rodrigo has warned it may not be as simple as all that.
The Spain international, who spent five years on Celta’s books as a youngster, said: “It’s a very difficult game. We beat Madrid, La Real (Sociedad) beat Barcelona… La Liga is very competitive.
“We have to be focused and alert in every game. Teams go through runs of form, and they are going through a bad moment. But teams, when they are doing badly, will give even more to try and get back to where they were.
“We need to be calm, we’ve experienced different situations this season. Now after the slump we’ve returned to our best level.
“We need to continue along that line and I’m sure that at the end of the season everything will turn out well.”