Colombia’s James Rodriguez will debut in the Spanish soccer classic against Barcelona together with the team’s established players Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday.
With less than two weeks left until the kick-off, Ancelotti insisted that the four attackers could “fit” together in the same starting line-up, regardless of the opposition’s tactics.
In an extensive interview for COPE about his tenure at the club, the Italian coach discussed some of the issues surrounding the team in the recent years.
When asked about the possibility of James Rodriguez making the final team against Barcelona along Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema, Ancelotti declared that “it’s obvious they are going to play.”
Additionally, the Real Madrid coach reassured that the Colombian player is worth the $114 million fee paid by the Spanish club to AS Monaco last summer. “If you pay it, it is because the club asks you to” he said.
MORE: Colombia’s James Rodriguez officially joins Real Madrid
Elsewhere, Ancelotti answered questions about the club’s captain and icon Iker Casillas, the departures and arrivals in the team the last pre-season, as well as more personal issues.
The Italian maintained that Casillas remains an important player, while his mistakes “can be counted with fingers of one hand.”
The coach made it clear that the team was not weakened by the exit of Angel Di Maria or Xabi Alonso, as they were readily replaced by the incoming Rodriguez and Germany’s Toni Kroos.
Finally, Ancelotti claimed he is happy at the club and his relationship with the President of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, is “good and straightforward.”
Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona will kick off on October 25.
