‘Salmon, broccoli and pasta’ – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti explains gameday routine for UCL final

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told the press at Valdebebas that he would enjoy the week of preparation for the Champions League final before the nerves kicked in on the day. He also had a very specific matchday routine in order to beat those nerves.

“What do I like to eat? Salmon, broccoli and pasta. That’s what I’m going to eat. Then an hour of siesta, if I can… And then, all the thoughts of the game will come, all of the nerves. Then, before the team talk, my heart starts to go up, it reaches 110, 120 and it stays there until the game starts and then my heart returns to its normal rhythm.”

In his mind though, the best way to prepare his players to aovid the stress of the match was to give them as many tools as possible to beat Borussia Dortmund.

“There is a week to prepare for the game and we will do it well. We are going to focus on defensive and offensive work and be clear about what needs to be done. I am going to give clear information to the players and when they get to the game they will be clear about what they have to do.”

“It’s the best way to relieve stress. So you don’t think about other things that can give you stress. The important thing is that we give the players clear messages, and they feel prepared in order to deal with the rival.”

One of the aspects of Real Madrid’s incredible European runs of late is the lack of exactly that – stress. Most sides would have crumbled under the pressure applied by Manchester City in the quarter-finals, and few are able to impose their game with such clarity of purpose as Real Madrid did against Bayern Munich, with time running out to turn things around. Despite being heavy favourites, most would bet on Los Blancos being the more relaxed of the two sides coming out at Wembley.

The post ‘Salmon, broccoli and pasta’ – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti explains gameday routine for UCL final appeared first on Football España.