Zidane: "People are being unfair with James; he's committed"
The coach spoke about the team's physical condition: "The players have told me they feel much better. But that's not to say that they felt bad before".
Zinedine Zidane was all smiles as he attended the media to preview tomorrow's meeting with Celta (16:00 CET).
You've been delving into the reserves recently. Do you like the idea of 'Zidanes and Pavones'? "I don't like the 'Zidanes and Pavones' philosophy. Within the changing room, we are all the same. The youth team players are prepared to come into the side, they played well and that's that"
Players ending the Levante with cramp. "They need to drink more water! (laughs). No, it means that they gave their all and that's a good sign"
Is Bale ready to return? "Gareth is in the squad list (for tomorrow). It's great news for all of us. We'll take it step by step and see how he gets on. The important thing is that he is fit to play for Madrid.I don't know how long he's been out but the most important thing is that he is back with us".
Repating the same line-up for the Celta match "I'm not looking at Tuesday's game yet, tomorrow's game is more important now. There might be changes to the team but I'm not going to reveal my XI. All of the players are important to me. I'm not happy that the only player who hasn't played yet is Arbeloa. He'll get minutes before the end of the season but not tomorrow, he's not in the list"
How are Modric and Marcelo? "Modric isn't in the list. He's not ready yet and we need him for Tuesday's game. Marcelo is ready to return"
Kroos. "We can talk about it and you're welcome to opinion but the team seems fine to me. And we will get better. Toni Kroos isn't in the squad; he's got a touch of flu".
The squad's physical condition. "The team looks fine to me - that's not to say that it didn't before but with the work we are doing, the players have noticed it".
Casemiro's role. "He's showing what we've known about him all along. I knew him when I worked under Ancelotti. He didn't play much back then and it's true that he didn't get much playing time at the beginning with me but now he is. He does well in his position - he's technically, técnicamente es bueno, es fuerte y tiene personalidad. Cuando tienes eso, puedes jugar en el Madrid".
Are you annoyed by the amount of criticism James has received? Are people being unafir with him? "I think so, yes. The way I see it, when anyone has a go at my players, it's unfair - but they know that when they play well, people say nice things about them. I understand your job [the press] but when things aren't going well, you write about it. It annoys me because I want the best for my players. It was be a different thing altogether if he wasn't committed, but he is".
Two months exactly in the job. We've seen it with Pep, with Mou... do you think the Real Madrid job makes you age quicker? "A little bit, but I love my job so I don't feel the stress as much. Before I signed my contract, when I was given this opportunity, I knew what the job entailed. The important thing is to be convinced about what you have to give. If I am feeling stressed, I'll relax with the family and return the following day full of energy. Let me say one thing: we want the fans to be fully behind us, we want to feel their affection and we will give everything for them because they are very important to us".