Why Carlo Ancelotti watched videos of West Brom before the 2025 opener
Carlo Ancelotti has spent his Christmas studying videos of West Brom ahead of Real Madrid’s return to action tomorrow night.
Madrid begin 2025 with a trip to Valencia, where they will look to extend their five-game unbeaten streak – a streak that included an Intercontinental Cup win over Pachuca in Qatar.
The trip to Mestalla will be the first time Madrid will face a Valencia side under new coach Carlos Corberan.
Appointed on Christmas Eve, Corberan was tasked with pushing the club out of the relegation places.
Previously with English champions West Brom, Ancelotti has been studying the Baggies to see if he can get any clues as to how Valencia might line up.
He said: “We looked at how his strategy worked at West Brom. And then you have to see how you can adapt it to the characteristics of the (Valencia) players.
“By the way, Valencia was a team that played under (former coach Ruben) Baraja and was getting closer and closer. We evaluated both things.”
🆙 @vinijr 🆙#RMCity pic.twitter.com/0yslVNYSis
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) January 2, 2025
Ancelotti is worried about the change of the new coach
The Mestalla can be a hostile stadium and Ancelotti doesn’t expect an easy game despite Valencia’s poor position.
“They are a team that has changed coaches and can give the players extra motivation,” he added. “For me, Baraja did a fantastic job, but that happens in football. We expect a challenging game. We have to concentrate on the game and nothing else.
“We want to start the year well. It’s a very important game. The team is doing well, the days off went well. Everyone is motivated and returned in top shape.”
No TTA update
The January window is now open and Madrid are reportedly considering a second offer for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold after an initial offer was rejected by the Premier League leaders.
Ancelotti was asked about the club’s plans this month but played a typically straight bat.
He said: “It’s a bit more complicated to talk about. We’ll see.
“The only thing I can say is that we have a lot of games in January and we are focused on that. It’s not easy for me to talk about the market at the moment.”
The trip to Valencia has been postponed until tomorrow evening after the original game was postponed due to the devastating floods that hit the region in October.
Madrid are second in La Liga but will move two points ahead of Atlético with a win.
