REAL MADRID
"It was all a bit dismal under Benítez really" recalls Nacho
The Madrid full-back described life under Rafa Benítez to radio show 'El Larguero', saying that no one in the squad was completely happy.
Nacho spoke to Cadena SER's El Larguero radio programme last night when he touched on a number of topics, including the current state of play at Real Madrid and the national team.
Benítez: "With Rafa Benítez it was all a bit dismal really, none of us were happy and the press was giving us a hard time. I learned a lot inder him though and played a lot of games. It wasn't so extreme that he had to leave; we weren't doing that badly but these are decisions which the club takes and now we are fine, we are a team and that is exactly what we need".
Zidane: "The atmosphere relaxed when Zidane arrived and the team improved and starting playing better. Zidane is a very relaxed coach and he's close to the players, he speaks to us... At the moment, it's going well although any assessments should be made at the end of the season".
Champions League: "We're really keen to knock Wolfsburg out of the tournament; winning trophies is demanded at a club like Real Madrid".
El Clásico: "It hurts to see how far ahead of us Barcelona are in the table. There are still a few games left and next up is the Clásico and we'll be going there to win. It's an important game and it would be very nice to win there".
The national team: "There are players who have build up more minutes than me in my position; I'm very thankful to Vicente del Bosque for the faith he has placed in me. We've got three months of a lot of hard work; all of us want to be with the squad in France and we have to show that we deserve a place to be in the list".
50 games with Real Madrid: "For us, the players, it all passes so quickly - it seems like yesterday when I made my debut. I hope to continue living through more great moments".
The future: "Real Madrid is everything, but what every player wants is to be playing regularly and that hasn't been the case with me. I'm not going to be thinking about anything until the end of the season; my dream is to play for Real Madrid. If I do leave, it will only be to gain regular minutes but I am only thinking about Real Madrid".