David Moyes has heaped praise on Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Real Sociedad’s trip to Real Madrid on Saturday. “He’s one of the best Coaches in the world.”
The former Everton boss faced the Italian, then in charge of Chelsea, in the Premier League between 2009 and 2011, and he is relishing the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Los Blancos’ trainer in La Liga.
“I didn’t celebrate [Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card], I only found out about it afterwards, but I’m not fooled by it. It’s better for us if he doesn’t play,” he said to AS.
“I have mixed feelings about it. I left my country, my comfort zone, to face the best, to beat the best.
“That’s the level I want to be at. A year ago I was preparing to face Bayern [Munich]. They’re the kind of games I want to play, so it’s a shame he can’t play.
“Bale has a new opportunity to prove himself. We must stay focused to the maximum, especially in our defensive work.
“We know that if we make mistakes, we’ll end up paying for them. This game is a test of our concentration and resilience. I love these challenges.
“We’ve got to have a bit of arrogance and confidence that we’ll have some possession against a tough team. You have to be brave, we can’t always be the defending team.
“I want to take Real to Europe, but not this season. Obviously, the objective is to ensure there’s continuous improvement in the process.
“We’re working hard. I need to know all the players. There’s no disputing their quality on the pitch, but some haven’t responded to my instructions sufficiently.
“I see it in training but not on the pitch. What I see in training is a Moyes team, but we haven’t yet translated it onto the pitch.
“Ancelotti’s a great Coach, who has plenty of experience. He’s one of the best Coaches in the world and belongs to a very select group.
“When I was a young Coach at Everton, I went to see his training methods and the experience was great. I have very good memories of those days.
“I spoke to [Paul Clement] before coming to Real and La Liga. He’s a man of great experience in football and has been many places. I’ll be happy to greet him [on Saturday].”
