Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the Santiago Bernabéu press room to give his thoughts on matchday 30 of LaLiga between Real Madrid and Athletic. The Italian coach said: "Rodrygo had a great game and made the difference. He gave us an early lead and was involved in two moments of great quality. That's what Rodrygo does and it's what he has to do. I think he's good everywhere, even though people say he plays better on the left. Remember that he scored two goals playing on the right in a Champions League semi-final. He's a great forward who doesn't always hit the target, but that's normal".
"Militão is one of the best defenders in the world and it's important to have him back. He needs time to adapt a bit better to the game, but the important thing is that he's back with us. We'll need him in the next few games and in the final stretch of the season. When a player has been away for so long and comes back, it brings a positive vibe to the dressing room. All his team-mates have congratulated him".
Fight for the league
"We're focused on the fact that we have an advantage in the league, on taking advantage of it and on trying to win every game that's left. Beginning with the next game against Mallorca. We can't do any calculations because the league is still open, but we have an advantage. We now have to play good football and try to win every game".
Sharpness in attack
"There are some isolated cases of forwards like Cristiano or Benzema when it comes to scoring. As time goes by and with experience, Rodrygo will improve in this area. He plays with a lot of intensity and because he's young I ask him to do defensive work. That means he's not as fresh in front of goal as he was today".
Tiredness after the international break
"Bellingham was not as fresh today as he usually is. He played two very intense games for England and he paid for it a little bit today. When I speak about intensity it's because it was lacking a little bit today, like with Bellingham and Valverde".
Bellingham
"Everyone has to be at their best level to beat City. Bellingham has played very well for the national team and that work today will help him in the coming games".
Refereeing
"I don't know what Bellingham thinks about it, he's learnt very quickly what he has to do and that's to shut up."
Centre-back pairing
"There are a lot of things to assess. Tchouameni played a very important role today because he pressed very hard, worked hard in midfield and won the ball back a lot. If I can't use him, we have Camavinga. Poicking someone in that area is a problem, but it's a positive problem and not a negative one".
Semi-final against Manchester City
"They have a more difficult schedule, but that's modern football. We have a small advantage that will not decide the outcome of the game. We have the time now to prepare for the game and play well. We managed the game very well today, but we didn't play with a high intensity because the game didn't need it. I liked the way we handled it, but the intensity has to be higher".
Recovery ahead of the Champions League
"Valverde picked up a knock but it's not a problem. We have nine days rest and everyone will have the chance to recover. He didn't play today with the intensity he usually displays, but it's difficult to play at such a high tempo after the international break".
"Having a week to prepare for the game is good for us. We can rest the players who have come back from playing for their national teams. And then we have just enough time to prepare for the quarter-final against Manchester City".
Managing the coaching staff
"We know City very well. I watched today's game and we will analyse everything we have to. We're focused on a different game to today. The match will be more intense and now we have time to prepare everything perfectly".