Press Conference
Ancelotti's statements on Arda Güler and young players in general in the pre-match press conference of Real Sociedad game
I think these statements are all that's needed to be said on the topic. I'm posting this as an answer to everyone who thinks that the youngsters have been done wrong etc. (including myself at some points)
The question: You said that Güler was fine and ready to play the other day, but how are you handling the situation with such a young player, I'd like to know that. Do you expect more patience and work from him, or does the player come to your office himself to request advice?
Ancelotti: All the players can come and talk to me. I speak to him, Endrick and all of the young players on a daily basis. I've read that there is an issue with Güler? But it hasn't got here yet. He's working hard and wants to play, like everyone else, but it's a process for him and for all the young players like we did with Rodrygo, Valverde and Vini Jr. He needs time to join the best squad in the world because the players are very good and the competition is fierce. Everyone understands that and if they don't, they should.
I spend every day with the young players and I don't want to see players who are happy when they're not playing. I want players who work hard, who learn and who want to play. I think that's normal, but this is a small part of their time. They spend much more time with other people and I don't know if these other people have the same idea and are thinking the same way that I do about them: that they improve and that they can soon play for Real Madrid. This is a lack of communication.
Rodrygo, Brahim, and Vini are much older and have the positional awareness to maintain the defensive structure. The current squad defensive vulnerablity contributes to a weaker midfield defensively which doesn't help Arda's case. Arda will get more game time once Valverde and Tchouameni are back in midfield and the attack has less pressure to defend.
Odegaard was more for press , I don’t think he was ever meant to play for the first team , just a wonderkid that was scooped up before another big club
Carlo also used Camavinga a lot when he joined, even subbed out Kroos/Modric for Cama in the 21/22 season, specially in the CL. And yet this season Caballos has stepped ahead of him. Guler needs to bring something to table that the other guys can’t. Madrid is tied to the top of the league and has one of the most difficult route in the CL. This is not the time to babysit.
After all, why didn't Kimmich also become great under Ancelotti but instead Carlo was fired when Bayern management realized he was wasting away the talent of their most promising young players
I would love to see our young players play more than anyone… however I don’t think Carlo has personal agenda against them. His first priority is to win matches and trophies with us. This should be our first priority as well. He obviously doesn’t always get every decision right, but I don’t think he’s being unreasonable here… Arda in particular has been unfortunate last season with a very slow start to his Madrid career due to injuries, but we’ve all seen what he’s capable of. I still think he’ll be very successful at Madrid, we all just need to be patient.
I don't remember anyone genuinely saying that Carlo has a personal agenda against any of the kids, but simply a disapproval of the lack of minutes they have been getting when there have been ample opportunities to do so.
Ancelotti has never been a manager that develops young players. But as our transfer policy continues to focus on acquiring young talent, Ancelotti simply becomes less suited for the job.
I am quite familiar with Ancelotti's managerial career and he has never been known to develop young players. At Juventus, Ancelotti sold Henry to Arsenal for cheap
Yes he gave the opportunity to Vini, but people act like he had much of a choice in his selection. It is not much different from what we are seeing with Asencio - the kid played when Ancelotti was forced not cos Ancelotti recognized some talent that others didn't.
Let's not forget Ancelotti gave minutes to Vallejo ahead of Asencio
Just letting Vini play is NOT how you see someone developing a player. We watch at most 3 matches per week, let assume players also spend 40hrs like normal people, we literally see 15% of a picture. Vini also had a lot of play time under Solari and Zidane, and it was quite painful to watch tbh. But he has been improving dramatically under Ance, right after his arrival.
Vini was improving under both Zidane and Solari. He simply improved faster as he got more minutes. Anybody that knows the game would recognize the talent that Vini had and the progress he was making.
Like I said before, if Ancelotti was good at developing young players, he would have recognized Asencio's ability in training and wouldn't have left Asencio rotting on the bench and instead played an injured Tchou out of position even after the kid had performed consistently well in a string of matches including against Liverpool at Anfield.
No there is nothing simple here. Just scroll this sub 3 years ago, there are a lot of analysis of Vini style changes under Carletto. In short, more direct and efficient. Regarding Asencio, imo initially it is because Tchou passing ability paired better with Rudiger, but later on Raul has more experience.
In the end, I wholeheartedly trust a man who’ve been spending nearly 60 years in football, on the pitch over top 5 leagues than any random guy.
Oh yeah, not blaming you specifically, mainly those random twitter accounts that like to stir up controversy and pretend that’s the case.
I think it just depends on the specific situation and timing, and your definition of young players. Vinicius under Ancelotti got a lot more trust than he did under any previous manager and the numbers he produces show that. He was 20 when Carlo came back. Jude has also been phenomenal under him, and was 20 when he joined us last season (Arda’s current age). Endrick is still just 18.
Many of us were frustrated that Asencio didn’t get his deserved starting spot in big games, but he was ultimately started in recent big games and received big praise from Carlo.
Patience is the key. Not everyone can play and what ultimately matters is winning.
The squad in general is very young. The idea that Ancelotti does not give minutes to young players is false
Rodrygo, Vini, Valverde, Bellingham, Tchouameni and Camavinga did not materialize out of thin air.
People say statements like these because all these young players have been elite for a while and we are used to them, but they are still young and they still need to develop their game. The oldest of the bunch are barely entering their “prime” years (if there is such a thing)
In my view, a young player is defined by he stage he is in his career e.g. Asencio is a younger player than Yamal even though Raul is chronologically older. Arda and Endrick are even much younger.
Jude, despite his young age, is much more developed than many other players that are older than him, simply of the number and level of games he has played in.
And you are proving my point. Ancelotti made a huge impact in transforming those young players into experienced players, while also young and keeping them healthy most of the time. Thats the definition of developing young talents.
Guler and Endrick will have their chances, and if they have the right mindset they’ll take them and hopefully become regulars later in their career, if they show they have what it takes
It is not just experience but also age cos after a particular age, the opportunity for development becomes limited. Just like in any other aspect of life, some people are more mature than their peers cos of their experiences.
How did he transform them? By being forced to give them minutes? Did he also transform Asencio? Player would more often than not develop when given consistent minutes.
You talk about keeping players healthy. Has Carlo also worked the same magic with Tchou and Cama? While excessive minutes can lead to fatigue and make younger players injury prone, for the most part, some players are simply more injury prone than others.
Developing a player is what we saw when Mou started Varane ahead of Pepe when many people felt otherwise. One can also look at how Wenger developed a young Henry, who Ancelotti failed to develop, into one of the best strikers of his generation. Even SAF trusting a young CR7 to replace Beckham is another example.
Carlo doesn't develop young players and people should stop trying to twist stuff to imply he does.
It's also quite silly to act like Güler has some divine right to a certain amount of minutes or appearances. The other players didn't have that, so why should Güler (or Endrick)?
Arda, Endrick, and every other promising young player does have that 'divine right' simply by virtue of the quality they have shown when given the opportunities.
You cannot justify denying young players the opportunities that they deserve while players like Mendy and LV persistently perform poorly but still get to play almost every game that they are available for.
Endrick and Güler have shown precisely that they're not fully there yet, that they still need to grow.
Vazquez and Mendy are playing because of lack of alternatives in their position. Fran kinda rattled on Mendy's starting position back when he was having his terror form. Anyway, that's a pretty pointless comparison you just made because Mendy and the Lord aren't the competition for Güler's/Endrick's playing minutes.
Nobody is asking for them to be starters but that they should be getting the minutes that would help them to get 'there'. They are not going to get there simply by training and sitting on the bench. There is simply no substitute for actual game time and it has been proven repeatedly in the past.
On Mendy, Fran has been better this season whenever given the opportunities and only Ancelotti can convince himself of why Mendy still seems to be ahead of Fran.
For LV, his performances, particularly defensively, have been so poor that any other manager would have been exploring alternatives from our youth systems but not Carlo.
If not for injuries depleting our defenders, and Ancelotti not having any other choice, Asencio would still be rotting on the bench. But Carlo still preferred to play an injured Tchou out of position and is likely going to start Alaba ahead of him going forward.
They're not there yet to be getting minutes to get them even further. You can't just give them minutes just so that they develop, we're not that kind of club. How many minutes did Fede get at 19?
If they feel like they can't make progress at Real Madrid they should go out on loan.
Fran has been better over a considerable stretch of the season, and for parts of that stretch he was in front of Mendy in the pecking order. Mendy, however, has become pretty solid in defense again and Ancelotti seems to value his defense more than Garcia's offense.
What if our youth system simply doesn't have an adequate player at right back?
You're talking as if anybody expected Asencio to shine this brightly in the first team. No shit if all our center backs were fit we wouldn't be seeing Asencio play for the first team, but that literally applies for every manager not just Carlo. Hell, Asencio wasn't even the best center back in Castilla.
They are very much there to be getting minutes. Both are able to get more consistent minutes from their NT and is not like their NTs are short of quality players in their positions. Saying otherwise is simply being disingenuous.
Fran has been consistently better than Mendy, but Ancelotti for whatever reason best known to him, prefers Mendy. Whatever metric Carlo is using, it is not based on on-the-pitch performances.
There are promising youths in the academy but they have not been giving the opportunity. It very similar to the Asencio case, if circumstances did not force it, Ancelotti would not have given him the opportunity. A coach that develops talent wouldnt have missed what Asencio had to offer. But instead Ancelotti's prefers to play an injured Tchou out of position
To me personally, a starter or not a starter doesn't matter much. What bothers me the most is very late substituting habit. What do you expect from youngsters who play 5 minutes and less, while at the same time deny the starters the 15 or 10 minutes of early rest, even in the lopsided matches?
Let the stars start everytime, give them ⅔ or ¾ of the game, then let the subs show what they can do in the last ⅓ or ¼, especially when the match is already in the bag. There would still be 7 starters at the very minimum on the squad to finish the match, so no need to worry too much.
We haven't been dominant in games is the issue. There are very very few matches that are won by the 60th minute. We are mostly one goal up by 80 minutes and that makes it tough to sub Arda in, bcs of his lesser defensive ability. Honestly, Arda hasn't been extremely good when he had more minutes. He is probably a rhythm player, but it's tough to start a stretch of matches without performing. Time will tell.
Well, if you're not dominant in games, then why don't you try change things in the last third or quarter of the game? You've been given 5 chances to literally do that.
The starters already had their chances to do everything for 60/75 minutes, and failed. So, try something elses won't hurt 🤷♂️.
Trying something else will hurt. They don't give extra points for winning by 3 goals. But they take away points if opponents equalizes.
If Arda was more defensively capable and physical he'd probably come in ahead of Brahim. But until then it's going to be Brahim if there needs to be an attacking change. I'm with Carlo on this. If you have a different opinion, i understand.
How could you know it will hurt? You're a clairvoyant? At this point, you just make up things and call it a reality.
And who talked about Arda particularly in this case? Because I don't. I've talked about bench players/youngsters as a whole.
"It's going to be Brahim"
Omg, that's what I'm telling from the start: "Let the subs show what they can do in the last ⅓ or ¼" 🤷♂️. Brahim is one of the bench players I'm talking about. Put him in earlier, or Endrick, or Arda, or anyone else in the bench. I've never mind the who 😄.
You mentioned it won't hurt. So you must be a clairvoyant as well ?
I mentioned Arda, not you. Bcs Brahim gets enough minutes. Arda and Endrick are the only first team players who don't. so I gave my reasoning of why Arda doesn't.
I can't comment abt the Castilla players, i haven't seen their matches.
Regarding your point of bringing any player early. There's also a game state consideration. Every team drops their intensity after 60 mins. We are not a high pressing team. So we are relatively fresh in the latter stages. At that moment it's better to have our prolific goal scorers to kill the game than upcoming youngsters. I'd still support Carlo's decisions. If you don't, so be it.
Your "will hurt" is a guarantee, that if you change anything when you're already in stagnancy, it WILL hurt. No, keep doing the same thing in stagnant situations everytime and expecting different situations and results is insanity. That's where the quote comes in.
There it is. If you're reacting to my comment, don't make up something I've never talked. That's OOT. I've never bring up specific names, because I don't talk about specific players.
"Kill the game"? In your case, we're talking about situations where they already couldn't kill the game for two third or three quarter of the games. If they couldn't kill the game by then, let someone else try in the last third/quarter is the most logical answer. Keep playing the same failing players and expecting a different result? That's where the quote comes in, again.
I still support Carlo to manage the team. But again and again I say, I've never talk about the specific person here. It's never about who I support and who I don't. Never! You're narrowing my points with that specificities.
You should post your own opinion that way, and stop riding mine. Because clearly you keep making points outside of my original context. So, go... make your own case, outside of my comment. You can set your own points there.
If you had so much knowledge on conversational grammer, you'd have known when i replied it's meant as a possibility and not a guarantee. Probably i should have read a dictionary before commenting, my bad.
And regarding I'm trying to ride your comment, i was trying to add an opinion on top, bcs that's what reddit comments are for. Nevertheless, now i know "whose" comments i shouldn't. Goodluck!
People need to remember that Ancelotti has managed over 29 seasons of world class football in Italy, Spain, Germany, England and France and I'm not even going to bother counting the titles he has won. These so called "supporters" think they know better but they really don't.
Over the last 5 games, every one of them was a battle until the last minute except the 2nd city game
That's honestly the only time I see a chance he missed to bring him in
And even then, people are forgetting all the injuries we had to our main players including the bench ones - they also need those minutes to get back in shape
It's sad to say it but he is in fact the last in that order and that should be a sign for how good our squad is.
Endrick already costed us a Crucial match this season vs Atlético, that why he hasn't play until recently, Ancelotti job was on the line many times during the season and there's a good possibility of not winning any title this year so he is definitely not tryna to develop talent, he is trying to win and if they are not good enough they simply can't play.
Why nobody is talking other Real Madrid players that have made mistakes and real lost the game or lost points . I remember Bellinham red card, camavinga penalty, Mbappe penalty miss, Mendy causing penalty. This is football so players can make mistakes. It doesn’t mean you have to bench them rest of their life.
Endrick, a kid who barely play and came on a sub cost us a game? Did he also cost us the last game against Atletico? What about against Celta?
What about the multiple games Mbappe has cost us with missed penalties, offsides and poor finishing? What about the games Vini and Jude has cost us by getting sent off? What about the entire team against Espanyol? What about Ancelotti and his selection and tactics against Lille, Milan, and worst the embarrassment from Barcelona twice!
If we don't win anything this year, there will be plenty of blame to go around and I doubt Endrick would make the list.
Idk man I think you misunderstood the comment, I didn't say is Endricks fault that we could go trophyless but that there are better suited options like Brahim. What I see stupid is comparing Endrick to Mbappe, Vini and Bellingham when they are clearly not the same and specifically for Vini and Bellingham they definitely won us more matches than costed us. And about Ancelotti what can I say he could have been better but we are alive still for the major competitions.
You tried to blame the result of a game on a kid that played less than 5 mins in the game while ignoring all the other players that started the game and played significantly more minutes in the same game. To further prove the point, Endrick wasnt involved in the last tie and yet the result was the same - who should we also blame Endrick for that?
Those same 'senior' players have obviously cost us more than the kid but you ignore that and justify it based on their other contributions. But you conveniently ignore Endrick's contributions e.g. against Celta Vigo in the CdR.
To whom much is given, much should be expected. If you are not using the same measure and calling for the heads of the likes of Carlo, Mbappe etc then please leave the kids alone.
They are kids, they will sometimes make mistakes and hopefully will learn from it
You know that’s bullshit, if that were true Lucas and Tchouameni would never play considering how many goals we’ve conceded thanks to their brilliant defense.
Or mbappe wouldn’t play after the terrible start of the season.
The answer is much simpler than this, if you’re a star, you get to play however bad your form is, because Carlo doesn’t wanna deal with a star that’s not happy with him, it’s why Mbappe played vs Lille and why a 40 yo Modric who has been mediocre for most of the games he’s played this season plays over someone younger.
We didn't have options for Rightbacks that's why Lucas (The only reason Valverde played there is cos Lucas was injured) played, we didn't have any options for defending so Defender so that's why Tchuameni played (yeah Asensio is good but let's be completely honest he is new to the squad, nobody knows what's he is capable of) Mbappe played because Florentino would have fired Ancelotti if he didn't start after expending absurd amounts of money on him. And if you think Modric has been mediocre this last season I think you should rewatch his games, not absolutely dominant but really decent.
Tchouameni and Lucas together are absolutely abysmal.
Also yes, Modric has been quite mediocre, he’s lost the ball more, has made more mistakes (which is understandable because he is getting older)
Your point on Mbappe doesn’t make sense, he shouldn’t have played vs Lille for the same reason he didn’t play vs Atlético Madrid the weekend before the match, he was injured, he only played because he asked to play, Ancelotti should’ve refused to start him
Ancelotti doesn't have any power over Mbappe, he played vs Lyon because he wanted, and Florentino conceded him that wish. That was the very first time a parent of a player travelled with Florentino entourage and had dinner with them. Search it up.
I guess I don't understand why certain players get the benefit of the doubt when they have a bad game, or multiple in a row, and keep getting started. Like I love Camavinga man but he is not having a good season, yet he keeps getting plenty of chances to give away penalties. Rodrygo's last game was bad. Sometimes he just disappears for multiple games in a row, but he just keeps starting. Where's the consistency?
And I don't think many people are arguing that Arda Guler needs to be a starter every game. But when you give a player 10 minutes every 4 games it doesn't make sense. And in those 10 minutes you play that player out of position, and the rest of the team is tired and has taken the foot off the gas or is just content with parking the bus. How can a player be tested and show their skills? And we know what he's capable of. He did fantastic at the end of last season. He had an incredible Euros, better than Jude mind you. But now he's suddenly a player that can't be trusted to come on at the 60th or 65th minute?
Let me just say this; If Arda Guler had blasted those shots around the net as Rodrygo did, lost the balls he did in that game, and misplaced the passes he did that game, you would have no problem at all saying he is not that good.
Rodrygo is always where he needs to be. He is constantly in great places to play the ball or defend the spaces or close out the press. He missed the shots, but he was a constant nuisance and was constantly attacking the ball.
He didn’t lose that many balls. He made a lot of passes. I don’t know what game you saw because that is not what happened.
You can say that all you want, it doesn’t make it true. Anyways, a limping Rodrygo is way better than Arda is. There is a reason why the only 2 players below him are Vallejo and Endrick.
I think if you prove yourself in the eyes of Carlo he gives you more chances. In Don Carlo's eyes Endrick and Güler simply aren't there yet, while Camavinga and Rodrygo are.
Rodrygo did well last game, just because only 4 attacks went from right side, it doesn’t mean he didn’t contribute. His defensive work was as good as always.
Camavinga is still much better player than those that don’t get as many minutes as him. And he doesn’t play that much and play much different position.
Guler played 30+ minutes on average in La liga games when he played. And he was not that impressive, and it’s expected for unexpected young guy.
I made the mistake of bashing vini myself for the last few months but damn we can't forget what the man has done before and so is the other players
Also about camavinga specifically, he isn't playing bad - he makes as Much good plays if not more then the bad ones.
That's just how it is, and if the season played out differently and we didn't had 3/4 of the squad injured at key matches there was more room to experiment
Hell if one of those injuries was Bellingham then we would probably be having a different conversation about Arda
He joined Real Madrid fully knowing the club mentality and Carlos philosophy and now it seems like he's bitching about it.
if any of our fans played football they would understand that you don't progress ONLY by playing 90 minutes once a weekend, but by training 5 days a week for 5 to 6 hours a day with the staff, the coaches and the other team mates.
you learn tactics, formations, new roles, plays, improve your passing, shooting, positioning, communication by being present at 100% during the training NOT during the game.
if players would only progress during games, so there would be no use for the coach and his staff or probably any other 3rd division player who would plays 90 minutes each week would be a better player than our "bench warmer".
Playing games IS important, but if you are a young player, bein present during the training is way more important
I genuinely believe if Güler has the patience he will succeed at Madrid, people are forgetting the fact that at his age when Vini and Rodrygo first joined us, they actually played less minutes than Güler, Real Madrid does not start youngsters to improve them, they will get their time eventually but there is no way Endrick or Güler is benching any of our starting XI.
Carlo always reiterates that his office door is always open to talk about anything, so I guess it bothers him that he keeps getting these questions about Arda but has not seen him come to him personally to speak about it.
It's not that going to speak with him will magically make him a starter, but at least both parties would be on the same page so to speak.
What Arda is going through many other of our starters also went through as he said.
Go back ans watch how the other stars like Valverde, vini, rodrygo have gained their spots. They started in the bench. I love the kid. He will get there.
I mean, I was bored until Ancelotti decided to talk about it instead of evading the question like the previous time. This is a good statement that should be seen by everyone, especially by people who think there's a particular problem about Güler in the squad.
Alaba is a much better player than Asensio. He hasn’t earned that spot. He has played because of injuries but as soon as those players return he will go back to the bench. As should be. That is the spot he has earned: a bench spot in the first team.
What's your problem? If you don't want to read, then just skip it. I appreciate that OP posted this, otherwise I would have missed this long statement of Ancelotti about the young players, which was essential at a time like this where everyone criticizes him and RM due to their style of approach towards youngsters.
As long as he is a part of Real Madrid, he will be discussed. Even in the case of leaving the club, if that ever happens, he will be discussed. Arda is a special kid, everyone sees this. You may not like, him, but you cannot deny what you see. I remember the Austria fans denying this and chanting "Who the f*** is Arda Güler" just before their match against Turkey at the Euros. We all saw how Arda treated them afterwards on the pitch and showed them who he is.
There is discussion and excessive discussion, that’s why I am suggesting megathread for Arda Guler news and complains.
This week there is more Guler related posts then Real Madrid posts. And most of them were deleted for that reason. If we had Guler megathread post, people would not miss news like this Ancelotti interview and we would not need 20+ threads since last match.
This has nothing to do with him as player or person, but subreddit.
I didn‘t know about such posts being deleted. Maybe you are right then regarding the megathread post, however, in such a case there will be other users complaining about Arda getting his own megathread lol
Omg dude, you just don't get it and want to fall for the controversy. Everyone should be respected in this situation but no one is above the club.
You respect Arda for his talent and drive to be successful.
You respect Carlo for his wisdom and intelligence. And trust he will use Arda more when the time is right.
You respect Perez for bringing Arda to the biggest club in the world.
If you cannot do these things then RM is not the club for you to support.
It has nothing to do with so called 'fanboys of Carlo,' but everything thing to do with cabezón fanboys of Arda who think he is bigger than the club. Just stop ✋.
As a Turkish fan, I don’t belive Arda has enough quality to start, but what I do belive is that the substitutions are very late. And this is problematic not only for Arda or Endrick or others. 6 to 10 minutes feels a lot longer when watching but I am pretty sure it is pretty short time while playing.
Both youngsters need more time to become regular, I agree with Carlo. But come on Don Carlo, at least give them like 20 minutes.
I just don’t like the handling of Endrick… Guler as well, but especially Endrick
Game time helps improve players the most and if they only get 3 minutes of game time in an already won match where the rest of the team isn’t really concerned with scoring another goal then that game time is pretty much useless… Endrick tries to score where he should have passed instead because in those 3 minutes his trying to prove himself. When he shoots instead of passing it shows poor decision making on his part but really it’s only because of the circumstances that Ancelotti put him in
And I’m sorry but there’s no excuse for repeatedly playing Tchoumeni at CB when he’s been consistently bad in that position instead of Ascensio who has proved himself worthy since day 1
Over the last 5 games, every one of them was a battle until the last minute except the 2nd city game
That's honestly the only time I see a chance he missed to bring him in
And even then, people are forgetting all the injuries we had to our main players including the bench ones - they also need those minutes to get back in shape
It's sad to say it but he is in fact the last in that order and that should be a sign for how good our squad is.
I don't think that's a convincing answer. No one is suggesting replacing the starting eleven, instead he could give young players some game time for 15 or 20 minutes. He could also rotate some players when playing against easier teams. But no, he would rather start a recently returned injured player over giving young players a chance.
That’s hard decision. I would rather slowly work get in from player that was injured, but is superstar, than young inexperienced player to develop. This is Real Madrid, not Barcelona.
But it’s fine, we all have different opinions on that.
Valverde was loaned and played in Castilla, both Rodrygo and Vini had same amount of minutes as Arda Guler their first 2 years. And both of them were more hyped and talented. It’s not as easy as people make it.
Endrick should have played in Castilla whole year.
They were hyped because Solari started them, similar to Asensio right now. Unfortunately, Asensio situation has also become uncertain with Alaba return from injury. I mean no disrespect to him, but every manager has their weaknesses, and this is his.
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u/hrmcf Vinicius Jr. Feb 26 '25
But don't you know that random reddit users are smarter than the most accomplished coach of all time??