Zidane: "I'm not a magician; all we need is to start winning"
"I haven't invented anything. We have drawn three games in a row and I'm not hiding myself away from anything. With hard work, we will be back", said the coach.
Betis trip
Zinedine Zidane attended the league action returns this weekend with Real Madrid guests of Betis on Saturday.
Preparing for the Betis game: “It's been going well, we haven't had any problems with anyone - only James, who had some twinges when he went out on international duty but he is much better now. The rest are fine. We have only had a few days to prepare for the game but that's they way it is when there is an international break. What matters is preparing well in the time we have available and we have done well”.
Team lacking intensity: “Most of the players haven't been here so I haven't had a chance to talk to them. But the ones who stayed here have worked well. Those who were with their national teams did well, scoring goals… We need to get back to doing everything we can to win our games. When you are not winning matches, it's because you are not doing enough. We have to stop our rivals from playing their game and return to dominate our matches. We are at a difficult ground tomorrow, against a difficult side… I can't really say more than that. I am not a magician, all we have done is work hard and that is what I believe in - work and commitment from the players. When I see that everyone is fully dedicated, that's sufficient for me”.
Good news
Marcelo: “I'm sure you already know. He's ready and that's good news for us. We will be making the most of Marcelo tomorrow".
Psychological problem: “I didn't say that, what I said is that it is not a physical problem because we are fine in that department. It's a bit of everything - it is always complicated when you enter a game because there are no small rivals and we are not going to win anything thinking that there are... I'm not implyimng that my players think that way, but we have to play every game at a high level. I never mentioned the word 'psychological' - my players know what they need to do”.
Cristiano 'kicking a ball at the press' in training: “I've got to laugh… sorry, I can't answer that, with all due respect. It's just an anecdote. He's not angry, he's fine”.
Ramos: “I'm very annoyed that he's injured because he is our captain and an important player who always gives everything. There's nothing we can do if someone gets injured with the national team… I just hope he's back with us soon. It's always the important players who receive criticism - in my opinion that's not fair with Ramos because he loves his job and always gives his best”.
Cup clash
Cultural Leonesa: “There are a Second Division B side, second in their division. And they've drawn Madrid… For them it's the game of the year, for us it's just another game, an important one. Right now I am more interested in tomorrow's game”.
James: "I wasn't angry that he travelled to be with his national team, I can understand that he wants to get over his fitness problems and is excited by the prospect of playing for his country. Now he has to fully recover. The 22,000 kilometres he's travelled is nothing… it's not going to change his life”.