Real Madrid took another step closer towards lifting the La Liga title after they beat Real Sociedad 1-0 away from home on Friday night.
Arda Guler was the difference-maker for Real Madrid, scoring the only goal of the game on his first start in La Liga for the club.
The victory sees Real Madrid extend their lead at the top to 14 points, at least temporarily, with Girona and Barcelona yet to play this weekend.
Speaking after the match, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti lavished praise on Guler and also confirmed that the youngster will not leave on loan next summer amid speculations over his future.
“Everyone did very well today. They had a good attitude, commitment and they fought. Arda scored and he is going to be a very important player for us in the future. There is no doubt that he will stay here next year,” said Ancelotti.
“He has extraordinary quality and a great gift, which is his talent. He’s trained very well, but he’s very young and little by little he will have his place in this squad.”
On the game itself and what the victory meant for the team, the Italian tactician said: “Real Sociedad play very well, they press hard and play attacking football. It wasn’t easy to win here and even more so considering the games coming up.
“I have a spectacular squad in that respect and we won by fighting and suffering. We are four points away from winning La Liga and we are very close.”
Ancelotti made wholesale changes to the side and Real Sociedad did not make it easy for the team, but the players hung on for a narrow victory. And the manager thanked his squad for their commitment and efforts, saying:
“Everyone thought we were coming here for a walkover and the only ones who didn’t think so were the players.
“I’m very proud of them because they have shown attitude, desire and the desire to keep winning and continue the team’s good form. I have to thank them because in that sense they were spectacular.”
There was also praise reserved for Luka Modric, who started three back-to-back league games and performed admirably.
“He played the same as in the last few games: he’s very good physically and he handled the ball very well in the second half, helping to overcome the pressure Real Sociedad exerted. He’s in great shape and obviously he could play on Tuesday,” he said.
On Tuesday’s match against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and whether he has chosen a team for the game, the Real Madrid boss replied:
“I still have to think about the line-up for Tuesday. Militao is back, he played very well and it was his first game as a starter after returning.
“They are options and I will evaluate them all in the next few days. Militao is slowly getting back to his best and now he has time to improve.”
On whether Thibaut Courtois can play against Bayern Munich, Ancelotti remarked: “They have a chance against Bayern in one of the two games. We’ll see if Courtois can play against Bayern. We’ll weigh it up one game at a time.”
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