“But who plays the final?” joked around in the early hours of the morning Riad since the expedition of Real Madrid, where happiness is breathed after the victory in the Classic and the qualification for the Super Cup final. It was a morning of rest at the Hilton Riad hotel, where there was no alarm for the players after the battle against Barcelona and a dinner that, due to the extension, went until almost two in the morning. It’s time to rest and recover for the duel on Sunday.
It was also a morning of gathering between the extensive expedition of the Real Madrid, commenting on a game that left the whites fully satisfied. Also to Carlo Ancelotti, who beyond the specific corrections that all the coaches make after reviewing the match, considers that his team played a great game, following the established plan at all times and knowing how to suffer when it had to be done. Because the Italian was clear that before the Barca there were also going to be times to clench your teeth.
What surprises at Real Madrid, and that has also been talked about, it is the reading that has been done since Barcelona, with Xavi in the lead, assuring that the Barça team was better than Real Madrid and that they deserved to go to the final. Ancelotti did not like that there was talk that Barça had locked up their rival and that is why he jumped, in his usual polite tone, at the post-match press conference: “I don’t agree with that. Barça didn’t dominate us because our idea was that, to go on the counterattack that way.” Playing at full speed came the three goals. The first led by Benzema, the second by Mendy and the third by Casemiro and Rodrygo. They defined Vinicius, Karim and Valverde. Six different players executing the plan laid out in the dugout.
At Real Madrid they don’t worry about criticism and they go about their business, but it does amaze some that after a new victory in the Clásico, the fifth in a row, now the focus is on the white team’s style, which can win the first title of the season, which is leader in LaLiga and who is alive in the Champions League and in the Cup.
A team that adapts to matches
Where critics or rivals see a problem, Ancelotti see a virtue. And it lies in Real Madrid’s ability to adapt to all games and scenarios. Madrid has beaten all the big teams it has faced this season: Inter Y Barcelona they have fallen twice and Atlético and Sevilla succumbed at the Bernabéu. The Real Madrid he has lost against the teams that locks up the most, because perhaps he does not dominate the crafting game as much as against, but the global data, regardless of the style, are unbeatable: 22 wins in 28 games.
“I think we deserved to win the game, which is just the pass”, he said Benzema at the end of the game, without worrying too much about the way in which qualification was achieved. “Barça has had the ball, because it plays like that, and we have run, yes. We are tired but the match was very good. It has been one of the most intense Clásicos, but I think the result is fair”, settled Karim.
