Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was delighted after their 5-1 thrashing of Celtic.
The result saw Real finish winners of their Champions League group.
Ancelotti said, “It’s more about the mental aspect of the players. Now they’re more involved and have more confidence, especially Valverde. He’s improved dramatically in terms of the goals he scored last season. Vini moves better off the ball and finds good positions inside the area. We’ve managed to replace Karim, who was the star player last season.
“Some opponents are good at free-kicks and sometimes you concede like that. The game and the performance were good from the start. The team was focussed. We didn’t want any problems, just to play well, and we did that today.”
On goalscorer Marco Asensio, he said: “Marco was the best player today. He played on the wing and linked up well with Valverde, who was playing more open, and with Carvajal. The three players combined really well. Asensio played out wide most of the time. He has all the quality required to make a difference when he’s on the pitch. He was tough, effective on the ball and he worked really hard off the ball.”
Vini Jr and Fede Valverde also struck and Ancelotti added, “Their individual quality’s clear to see. Character can limit individual quality, but both of them have a very strong character because they’re very serious and modest professionals. It’s surprising what they’re doing, but I wouldn’t say too much.”
