Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti slams busy schedule: 'Something has to change'

Carlo Ancelotti, manager of the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, expressed his discontent with the upcoming busy schedule of the club at a press conference on Friday.

Real will play Osasuna in the in the Copa del Rey final at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on May 6. Three days later, they will face Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Meanwhile, Real are currently 11 points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga with nine games to go. Though it is a big gap to overcome, they have no reason to give up in advance. Real will travel to San Sebastian to play Real Sociedad at Anoeta Stadium on May 2.

"Objectively, the calendar doesn't make sense," Ancelotti said at the press conference. "It's too tight, with too many games. We have to look at the health of the players. They're the most important part of football, but everyone thinks about themselves: the league think about themselves, the federation think about themselves, FIFA think about themselves, UEFA think about themselves. It isn't good for football. It isn't right. Something has to change. Too many games."

Players of Real Madrid celebrate after scoring a goal in the second-leg game of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge in London, England, April 18, 2023. /CFP

Real secured two easy 2-0 wins over Chelsea to reach the Champions League semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons. It will be the third time in three years that they will face Man City in the competition. Man City beat Real 4-2 in the Champions League Round of 16 in 2020; then Real defeated Man City 6-5 in the tournament's semifinals last year.

"They're a team that's changed a bit but they're still very strong, as always," Ancelotti said of Man City. "A forward like Haaland scores a lot of goals. But in these kinds of [Champions League] games the plan is the same, you have to do better than your opponent, that's it."

"I think Madrid and City are teams that can play in different ways, with the quality of the squads they have. I don't think Guardiola's City have completely changed their style," he added. "When you have such a strong forward, your way of attacking changes a bit compared to the past. But a Madrid-City game can be a possession game or a transition game."