Carlo Ancelotti has delivered the teasing message that he may spring a selection surprise in today’s Clasico against Barcelona.
The Italian is not averse to experimenting on big occasions, having played Sergio Ramos in the centre of midfield and Gareth Bale as a central striker in his Clasico coaching debut at the Nou Camp a year ago – a gamble which backfired as Barcelona won 2-1.
And Ancelotti, looking relaxed and confident yesterday ahead of his team’s big day, refused to rule out another unexpected teamsheet this evening.
“I like surprises,” he smiled. “There may be one in the starting line-up. Last year it didn’t work out for me, but sometimes they do.”
With his side in such fantastic form, coming into today’s game on the back of eight consecutive victories, Ancelotti’s comments were probably little more than gentle kidology, and his starting XI is unlikely to deviate too much from the side which performed so well to win 3-0 at Liverpool on Wednesday.
The only two likely changes are in defence, where Dani Carvajal will be preferred to Alvaro Arbeloa on the right flank and Ramos has returned to fitness to resume his trusted partnership with Pepe.
Ancelotti also confirmed that Gareth Bale is unfit to play with the Welsh forward sidelined with a buttock injury.
He said: “He suffered an injury a week ago and won’t be available. He needs one week to rest and then he will start to train.”
Even without Bale, there should be an abundance of individual brilliance on display, but Ancelotti believes collective teamwork will be the decisive factor in deciding the outcome.
Whilst admitting “there’s no game in the world with so much quality”, Ancelotti has urged his team to focus their efforts on playing as a unit rather than relying on moments of inspiration from gifted attacking performers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez or Isco.
“To win we will have to do everything perfectly,” he added. “We will try to impose our style of play, both in defence and in attack. Our players understand very well that they have to use their quality for the service of the team. Defending well is very important and could be the key to the game.”
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick when Barca won the last Bernabeu Clasico in a pulsating 4-3 encounter in March, but Ancelotti says there is nothing particularly unusual in his plans to thwart the Argentine.
He said: “Our approach will be the same as always – we need to deprive their strikers of space.
“To do this, we will need to have two defensive lines which don’t leave any space.”
Although Ancelotti was eager to emphasise his team’s excellent form coming into the game, he accepted that table-topping Barca are also full of confidence.
“Both teams are in great form and they look more motivated than last season,” he said. “But it’s a great game to prepare for and I don’t feel under any pressure.”
Ancelotti was also eager to avoid entering a war of words with counterpart Luis Enrique over comments from both managers over their strategies for substituting star men Ronaldo and Messi.
Whereas Enrique claimed he consults his players before making changes after Messi appeared to refuse to come off during last week’s win over Eibar, Ancelotti asserted earlier in the week that he replaced Ronaldo at Anfield without seeking his prior approval.
Yesterday, though, Ancelotti said: “If anyone took what I said as a provocation, they are mistaken. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
