Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praises on four of his players, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Raul Asencio, Federico Valverde and Ferland Mendy following their UEFA Champions League playoff first leg tie against Manchester City on Tuesday.
Ancelotti said the four players were absolutely fantastic against Man City at the Etihad Stadium.
Jude Bellingham’s late goal gave Real Madrid a 3-2 win against Pep Guardiola’s side.
“I said it a long while ago, but this is the way forward. This is where the season really starts and despite all the difficulties, we put in a good display and got a great result,” Ancelotti said at his post-match interview.
“The back four had never played together, not even in training. They were absolutely fantastic.
“Tchouameni has come in for a lot of criticism but he was incredible.
“Asencio’s maturity continues to surprise people and Valverde and Mendy were fantastic.
“We’ve been able to bring something really positive out of an emergency situation.”
“You have to be strong defensively here because if you’re not they can score a bag of goals,” he added.
Real Madrid will welcome City in the return leg next week at the Santiago Bernabeu.
