Santiago Hernán Solari spoke in press conference before facing Leganés (21:30 local time) on Wednesday in the second leg of the Copa del Rey Last 32 Round. Los Blancos won 3-0 one week ago at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, so they shouldn’t have many problems to go through to the next round of the competition.
For this reason, Solari will make some changes in the line-up, although he will face the game as if the scoreboard showed 0-0. The manager told the journalists that he had Llorente, Kroos, Asensio and Courtois back on the pitch, “but not at the same pace as the other players”, so we shouldn’t expect them at Butarque. Karim Benzema, injured against Betis, won’t be also available.
The manager was also asked about Isco and the few minutes he’s enjoying lately. The playmaker didn’t play a single minute against Betis despite the many players absent, but Solari didn’t want to give any extra explanation. Asked about the possibility of leaving the club in January, Solari replied: “I’m only the coach”.
The Argentinian spoke more about Vinicius Junior and his good performances in the last games: “He is very talented and he shows the talent when he needs to show it, playing at home and away. Against experienced players and surrounded by experienced players. Vinicius career has a lot of credit, but we have to take care of him because he is only 18 and he has just arrived. The weight of the competition falls back onto the more experienced players”, Solari told in the press conference.
He also was asked about the many youngsters who played on Sunday and his decisions of including them in the line-up: “There are some times that they arrive quicker, but always supported by the more experienced players. The youngsters can play better with their support…. Ramos, Varane, Carvajal, Casemiro are very important and they have to hold the team and the youngsters”.
