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Real Madrid increased their lead in La Liga to three points after their 3-0 victory over Levante. However, Carlo Ancelotti has claimed despite “that is a good advantage, we can only think about the next game.”

“I don’t think about the treble. I’m just thinking in the line-up for next match against Malaga. We’re in the good path,” the Italian stated. “There is still a long way in the season to go and our objective is to get to the last match of the season in this position,” he added.

Asked about his team’s great state of form, Ancelotti reminded the journalists that “at one point this season we were six points behind, so right now we are in a very good position. All we can do is continue in this form. But you cannot think everything is going to go always well; we have to be prepared for anything.”

When analysing the game, the Italian claimed “the result has been short, because we hit a few posts and Keylor Navas had a great performance.”

Asked by the possible injuries of Raphael Varane and Daniel Carvajal, Ancelotti explained he only replaced Varane “out of precaution.” “His knee is fine, but he had a blow to his shinbone and we have to be careful with him,” he pointed out.

As for Carvajal, Real Madrid’s boss admitted they were worried at first. “Now it seems it’s nothing serious and he will be fit in two or three days. I think he’ll be able to play in Malaga.”

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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has said the team put in a near perfect performance against Levante.

Los Blancos ran out 3-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu, meaning they are now three points clear of Atletico de Madrid and four ahead of Barcelona, having all played 27 games in La Liga.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring after 11 minutes, before the Brazilian defender got a rare goal just after the interval. Levante’s Nikos Karabelas out one into his own net to make the scoreline even greater with just 10 minutes left of play.

Speaking after the match, Marcelo said it was a good performance and another hurdle overcome as Carlo Ancelotti’s men look to secure the title.

“I don’t think we were perfect, but we came pretty close. We were slightly stronger after the break than in the first half. But the most important thing is that we did not concede any goals,” Marcelo stated.

He added: “We could not afford to spill points against Levante [following Atletico Madrid’s win], even though we are not looking at the other teams fighting for the title. It’s obviously good for us if they drop points, but we are focused on our own performances.”

The defender also stated he would be happy to fill in at right back if Daniel Carvajal misses any games through injury. The club confirmed Alvaro Arbeloa will miss the next three weeks, and Carvajal picked up a knock during the match.

I hope that Carvajal’s injury is not too serious,” the Brazil international told reporters. “But I am happy to help the team out wherever the coach needs me.”

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Carlo Ancelotti has said the struggles experienced by Real Madrid playmaker Isco this season remind him of those that AC Milan legend Clarence Seedorf went through a decade ago.

The 22-year-old summer signing from Malaga has found himself in and out of the side this season, and a victim of Ancelotti’s preference for the 4-3-3 system. Isco started the campaign in blistering form, but with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema the recognised front three, and Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric all but guaranteed to start, there has been little room for Isco to make his mark in recent months.

Seedorf, now manger at the San Siro after hanging up his boots, also underwent similar frustrations when Ancelotti was in charge of the Italian giants.

And speaking to reporters, the Italian, who has lead Los Blancos on a 29-game unbeaten run, said he can see similarities between the pair.

“We have spoken for a month about how he can adapt. We haven’t been able to play with him in his usual position,” he stated.

And he continued: “He played very well against Schalke and Atletico Madrid. He is closer to starting. I had a similar case: Seedorf was an attacking central midfielder who, with sacrifice, played in a different position. Isco can do what Seedorf did.”

Ancelotti also had words of praise for Karim Benzema, who has scored 11 goals in 14 games so far in 2014.

“Benzema is comfortable in the side and with our play,” Ancelotti added. “That’s the reason. He’s concentrating on his work, and this is what pays off.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo lead Real Madrid to move three points clear of Atletico Madrid and four points clear of Barcelona in La Liga thanks to a comfortable victory against Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos proved they are the team to beat in Spain at the moment, and they took advantage of the Azulgranas’ defeat at Valladolid to increase their lead.

Carlo Ancelotti men were on top for the majority of the match, going in front after just ten minutes as Ronaldo leaped to meet Angel di Maria’s cross in a corner and powered a header into the bottom corner.

Karim Benzema had clear chances to double his side’s lead, but he was unlucky. The Frenchman sent a volley over the bar from inside the box and hit the woodwork after being denied by Keylor Navas.

Madrid were two in front a couple of minutes after the break. Ronaldo bursted inside from the left and reversed a pass inside for Marcelo, who wonderfully whipped a right-footed shot into the far corner.

Levante’s hopes of salvaging anything from the match were made almost impossible in the 64th minute, when David Navarro shown a red card. The Levante defender came in right through the back of Ronaldo with no attempt to claim the ball, although it was probably slightly harsh to be a red.

Benzema headed against the post again before Los Merengues scored their third courtesy of an own goal from Nikos Karabelas. Marcelo sent a cross to the back post and the Levante left-back fired the ball into his own net in an attempt to clear the ball.

Ronaldo was close to making a deserved brace as he hit the Levante woodwork for a third time. Los Blancos opened up clear daylight to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, although they might have starting problems at right-back, since Daniel Carvajal got injured, joining Alvaro Arbeloa in the infirmary.

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Real Madrid Levante match preview

Real Madrid will seek to keep their top of the table position as they host courageous Levante, a modest team that is fighting to earn a spot in next season’s Europa League.

The Valencia based team have only earned three points in their eight visits to the Santiago Bernabeu. It was thanks to a 0-1 victory in 2007, when they took the win home thanks to a penalty scored by Salva Ballesta.

This time, it seems more difficult for Levante to take any points. With Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in great scoring form, Los Merengues forward line looks unstoppable.

Despite Levante being famous for their great defensive performances –in fact, they’ve only conceded 31 goals this season, only five more than Madrid– the dimensions of the Santiago Bernabeu will not favour their tight-defence style. In fact, in their last five visits to Los Blancos stadium, they have conceded 21 goals, more than four per game.

Carlo Ancelotti’s only doubt for the game will be Pepe, who missed Portugal’s game against Cameroon due to a fever. Raphael Varane, who played the whole 90 minutes for France against Holland on Wednesday, could replace him in the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Joaquin Caparros will have serious trouble in midfield, as he will miss regular starters Pape Diop and Simao Mate due to suspension. Former Liverpool player Mohamed Sissoko could make it in the starting XI despite his lack of fitness, having only played one match since he arrived in January. Victor Casadesus will be also sidelined after being shown a red card against Osasuna.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Lopez; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Alonso, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Levante: Navas; Lopez, Vyntra, Navarro, Juanfran, Karabelas; Sissoko, Pinto; Garcia, Barral, Ivanschitz.

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Sony Pictures Spain have picked Real Madrid players Alvaro Arbeloa and Diego Lopez as the main characters for the latest commercial of the new Spiderman movie: The Amazing Spiderman 2.

Real Madrid defender and goalkeeper star in the commercial, alongside Barcelona players Victor Valdes and Andres Iniesta.

The two goalkeepers play a football match in a warehouse, dressed in Spiderman’s costume. While throwing balls ferociously at each other and hanging upside down, Valdes gets a call on his mobile from Arbeloa. Lopez tries to answer the call, but the phone is accidentally dropped into a barrel of water. The two keepers then drive off in a Porsche.

At the end of the ad, Iniesta appears, also dressed up as the superhero, quickly proves that the phone still works despite having been submerged in water, before starting a new game of unidentified Spiderman football!

Don’t miss this video.

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Real Madrid right back Alvaro Arbeloa will miss the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu against Barcelona having been ruled out for three weeks with a knee injury.

Clubs doctors confirmed the Spanish international is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a tear in his patella. It was initially thought he would only miss a week of action, but he now miss up to five La Liga games as well as the second leg of the Champions League game with Schalke, although Los Blancos hold a 6-1 lead in that tie.

It is believed the 31-year-old dependable right back will be fit for the Champions League quarter final and the final of the Copa del Rey.

Carlo Ancelotti has rotated his right backs this season with Arbeloa and Daniel Carvajal swapping places in the starting eleven. Carvajal, who grew up in the youth teams at the club before spending a year in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, will slot into the side to cover Arbeloa’s injury.

The 21-year-old started the Clasico fixture at the Nou Camp back in October and was given a torrid time by Neymar as Los Blancos slipped to a 2-1 defeat. He has put in more solid displays since then as Madrid have embarked on a 28-game unbeaten run.

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Real Madrid have reportedly added AC Milan’s right-back Mattia de Sciglio to their wish list. The 21-year-old could be Carlo Ancelotti’s favourite to reinforce the full-back position, as he can play in both sides of defence.

De Sciglio has become Clarence Seedorf first choice for the right-back displacing Ignazio Abate. He’s made 18 appearances so far this season, putting in some great performances and also becoming a crucial piece of Italy’s national team.

Nevertheless, he has been linked with a move to other big European clubs, such as Manchester United.

The defender is valued in 12 million euros and that is something that pleases Real Madrid directors, who are willing to sell Fabio Coentrao next summer for no less than 20 million. However, the fact that other clubs have joined the bid will surely increase his cost.

Although Guilherme Siqueira and Alberto Moreno are the first choices for replaceing the Portuguese, the Italian could still arrive in case Ancelotti decides to get rid of Alvaro Arbeloa.

This is not the first time De Sciglio has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Last summer, when Fabio Coentrao was close to signing for Manchester United, the Italian was included in the list of possible replacements.

The last La Liga game against Atletico Madrid showed Real Madrid’s main weakness is their full-backs, and that will be a priority for Ancelotti to solve in the next transfer market.

* Follow Alejandro Gonzalez on Twitter at @alejandrognieto for more Real Madrid transfer news

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22nd December 2013 started a saga which to this day has not ended. Antonio Adan replaced club captain Iker Casillas in the starting lineup for the 2-3 loss to Malaga in the league.

Jose Mourinho defended his controversial decision by saying: “It’s a technical decision. The coach analyses the situation, looks at the players at his disposal and chooses his team. At the moment, for me and my coaching staff, Adán is better than Iker”.

Casillas soon regained his place and it became crystal clear to everyone, if it wasn’t already, that Adan’s selection was a political decision. His selection stemmed from a dispute between Mourinho and Casillas. However, Iker soon suffered an injury in a game against Valencia.

The fans and the press all began to panic. Games against Barcelona and United were coming up in the Copa, La Liga and Champions League. Most believed that Adan was not at the level required to handle games of such a hugh billing. Mourinho came to the same conclusion and bought former Real Madrid youth product, Diego Lopez from Sevilla.

The Bernebeu had seen him in action before. For 2 seasons, from 2005-2007 he had served as backup to Iker Casillas. In the span of 3 weeks, he eradicated all doubts about his quality. He produced a solid performance in his debut against Barcelona. He was Madrid’s standout performer against Manchester United in the Champions League. After going ahead 2-1, Madrid faced a late onslaught from Rooney and co. Lopez produced a string of fine saves, showcasing his reflexes and good command of the box.

After the game Sir Alex Ferguson said “Iker wouldn’t have saved the shots that the boy Lopez did. Going out to Danny Welbeck in the first half, going down at Robin van Persie’s feet, coming out and whacking Nemanja Vidic in the head … Casillas isn’t that type of goalkeeper.”

Inspite of his standout performances, most fans believed that Casillas would return to the starting lineup upon his return from injury. However,Lopez retained the spot for the rest of the season.

Mourinho left and Ancelotti came but Casillas has still remained on the bench. This demonstrates that there was something beyond the Casillas-Mourinho feud that led to him being dropped to the bench. Ancelotti has handled the dual goalkeeper situation remarkably.

He has managed to stand by his decision to retain Lopez as first choice goalkeeper in the league while also satisfying Casillas by making him Copa and CL goalkeeper. This decision reflects Ancelotti’s tactical and managerial nous. The decision to play two goalkeepers maintained harmony in the squad, reduced the press’ scrutiny on the situation and also demonstrated to the squad that selection will be based on merit, not reputation or past laurels. There was no reason to drop Lopez and therefore leaving him out would’ve sent out wrong signals.

This season has seen both goalkeepers play at a very high level. Lopez has 10 clean sheets in 26 league appearances with an average of 2.19 saves per game and an average of 1 goal conceded per game ( as per squawka.com). Casillas has 3 clean sheets in 7 Champions League appearances with an average of 0.71 goals conceded per game and 4.80 saves per goal. Casillas also has not conceded a single goal in 8 appearances in the Copa on Madrid’s way to the final. He also set an all time Spanish record for 952 minutes without conceding goals in all competitions.

While this situation has played out well this season, Ancelotti cannot carry on this practice next season. Both goalkeepers have contract beyond the summer and Carlo must find a long term solution to the goalkeeping conundrum. So who should Ancelotti choose and why?

Firstly, let’s examine the case of Casillas’ inclusion. Casillas, at the age of 32, still has many years left as a top-class goalkeeper. He has shown that this tough period has not affected his skills and reflexes. He produced a string of world class saves against Juventus in Turin and recently produced a stunning save at point blank range from Julian Draxler.

He has maintained a dignified image by accepting his role in the team and has shown no sign of unhappiness. Therefore, bringing him back to the team would not affect the goal-keeping in any adverse way. However, with a player of Casillas’ stature, there is a political aspect as well. Casillas remains one of the most influential players in the dressing room of Madrid and Spain.

He is a fan favourite and a club legend. By making him the No.1, Ancelotti will be pleasing a large section of the fans and the Madrid press outlets such as AS and Marca, who unfortunately have a huge influence in the capital. It is an open secret that Florentino Perez also wishes Casillas to be reinstated. As Spain captain, he is also integral in ensuring good relations with Barcelona players.

Now let’s look at Diego Lopez. He has been under intense pressure and scrutiny ever since his transfer. However, he has very much risen to the challenge and has given neither Mourinho or Ancelotti a reason to drop him. His stye of goalkeeping is quite different from Casillas. He is better at distributing the ball and has better command of the box. He is also more aggressive and is willing to charge.

Casillas on the other hand has unparalleled reflexes and is perhaps the best in the world in one-on-one situations. Similar to reinstating Casillas, Ancelotti would not be arming the quality of goalkeeping at Madrid by keeping Lopez in goal.

Both of them are world class keepers and Madridistas are lucky to have to extraordinary keepers. Ancelotti must come to a decision. If he sells Lopez, Madrid will make a sizable profit on the paltry 3.5 million that was spent on bringing him to Madrid. If he decides to sell Casillas, there will be no shortage of suitors for him and not to mention a huge transfer fee involved. Let us make sure we support whatever decision Ancelotti decides to make.

Booing and insulting either goalkeeper is detrimental to Madrid and therefore is counterproductive. Hala Madrid.

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Former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has criticised the culture that existed in the dressing room at the club while he was in charge, saying many of the players were too concerned about their image and would queue up to look in the mirror before taking to the field.

The Portuguese boss, now in charge of Chelsea, failed in his objective to win the club’s 10th Champions League crown. In his three years in charge at the club, he landed the La Liga title once and the Copa del Rey.

However, he left the Santiago Bernabeu in acrimonious fashion, having fallen out with a number of his own squad, many match officials, and plenty of Barcelona players and staff too.

Speaking to Esquire magazine, Mourinho said: “Lots of times at Real Madrid, the players would be queuing in front of the mirror before the game while the referee waited for them in the tunnel. But that’s how society is now. Young people care a lot about this: they are twentysomething and I am 51 and if I want to work with kids I have to understand their world.”

In 2005, Mourinho infamously called Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger a ‘voyeur’ for always looking at and talking about what his Chelsea team was doing. In the past few weeks though, the self-declared Special One has himself spent plenty of time discussing other teams and not his own. The comments about Real Madrid players follow on from disrespectful remarks about Wenger and Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

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