Ancelotti: 'Real is the King of Champions League'

"History shows that Real is the King of Champions League and we are a small part of the great history of the club. We want to contribute to that history by trying to win the title this season," Ancelotti said on 17/17/ 4 at the press conference before the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea.

With 14 championships, Real is twice as rich as the second team Milan in the Champions League. Ancelotti is also the most successful coach in the history of the tournament, with four championships in 2003, 2007 (with Milan), 2014 and 2022 (with Real).

During his first term at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti and Real defeated Atletico in the 2014 final to realize Decima's dream - winning the 10th Champions League/Champions League - lasting more than a decade. Last season, shortly after returning to his second term as Real Madrid manager, the Italian coach lifted the prestigious Elephant Ear Cup for the fourth time when he defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the final at the Stade de France.

This season, despite not being able to defend the title in the Spanish Super Cup and almost giving up hope in La Liga, the royal team still has a chance in the Champions League. In the quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu, Real beat Chelsea 2-0 thanks to Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio. "We are well aware of what we have to do at this club, which is to win every game," Ancelotti said of the second leg. "We may be lucky enough to be in another semi-final, and will take it one step at a time. Reaching the semi-finals twice in a row is an impressive achievement."

In the first leg, Ancelotti used the same formation as the 4-0 victory over Barca in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg. When asked about keeping the system intact at Stamford Bridge today, Ancelotti said just thinking about the starting line-up was disrespectful to other players who played less, but always performed excellently. However, he left open the possibility of continuing to let Eduardo Camavinga - a player with a forte in midfield - kick left-back.

In such a system, Toni Kroos dropped deeper, playing the role of a defensive midfielder behind Federico Valverde and Luka Modric - the two attacking players. Kroos has said he does not like such a role, but Ancelotti thinks it is normal. He analyzed: "Not too much has changed, because Kroos still holds the ball like that, and defends like that. When he kicks higher, Kroos moves wider, when he goes deeper, he usually only appears in the area. midfield. But in modern football, all 11 players have to defend. So no matter where he plays, Kroos has to defend."