Real Madrid and Barcelona have a never-ending rivalry that spans decades and centuries. It has toned down a little bit in the last few years - sometimes due to a team being dominated or due to not having that many 'instigators', so to speak.
However, similar to rock n' roll, the rivalry may fade from time to time, but it will never die.
It is clear that Carlo Ancelotti certainly thinks so. Ahead of Real Madrid's match against Leganes on Saturday, the manager was asked about Hansi Flick's quotes about Los Blancos.
Earlier this week, Flick had faced a question about Ancelotti's comments on not wanting to play without a minimum 72-hour rest, which was when the Italian coach had to field out a team against Villarreal 66 hours after playing extra time and penalties against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Flick said there was nothing they could do and that they had to accept the scheduling for what it was. However, in regard to what Ancelotti said, he replied: "We are Barça, not Real Madrid, and I'm very proud of being Barça."
When asked about it, Ancelotti simply said: “I agree with what Hansi Flick said. Real Madrid are not Barcelona.”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti just gave Hansi Flick and Barcelona a taste of their own medicine
By basically throwing some shade at Barcelona without changing any of the words Flick said, Ancelotti just removed his filter and flexed his Real Madrid muscles as much as he could have.
He was right to do so too, Barcelona clearly struggled with the fixture problem, but Flick decided to throw digs towards the Italian manager. I guess Ancelotti wanted to do the same.
That quote has gone ahead and taken over X (formerly Twitter). So many fans have enjoyed reading that and have posted their reactions. It is always fun when Ancelotti 'stands on business', and this is one distinct example of it.
Flick's quotes about scheduling don't even stay consistent through the remainder of this Barcelona squad. Jules Kounde recently came out and said they do not like the fixture congestion, and rightfully so, as he echoed Ancelotti's complaint from a few weeks ago.
He said: “It doesn't matter if it's Barça, Osasuna, or Real Madrid when it happens. It's disrespectful to the players. We're not machines, and to produce the game we produce and to give the fans what they want, we need a rest.
“All institutions have to understand that, not just La Liga. They can't set dates that come their way."
Kounde was absolutely right, and maybe that was what he would have wanted Flick to say as well. The German manager did complain about the scheduling after the match, but not before trying to throw unnecessary shots at Real Madrid which completely contradicted his new statements.
Either way, it was fun to see Ancelotti in that mindset during press conferences. It is such a fresh change of pace from his normal self. I do hope to see more of it.