Real Madrid: Zidane on Vinicius, Bale, Real Betis, Sarabia...
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane spoke to the media ahead of Sunday's LaLiga clash with Real Betis (21:00 CET).
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane spoke to the media on the eve of Sunday's LaLiga clash with Real Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarín (21:00 CET):
Real Betis:
"They're a really good team and they'll be tough opposition, even if they have had a few problems with results. It'll be a physical battle and we'll have to be on our mettle tactically."
Pressure of being Real Madrid coach:
"Of course, but my passion has always been football and my livelihood is the thing I like the most. Working for this club is a huge source of pride and I make sure to enjoy every moment of it, although it's the players who write the club's history."
Barcelona's under-fire assistant coach Eder Sarabia:
"Everyone does their job as they see fit and tries to do it well. There are times in games when the tension can spill over. I'm not going to get into whether it [Sarabia's intense touchline manner] is good or bad. Everyone experiences the job in their own way."
Vinicius ahead of Bale:
"Nobody's ahead of anybody. I tell my players that they're all important. We all have to be ready to perform and contribute. The players always want to play and I'm here to make the decisions."
Advice to Real Madrid on coronavirus:
"We've been given the same advice as everyone. We're told what we need to do and we trust those who know about it."
Do you feel backed by the club?
"Yes, but I know how this works. Today I'm Real Madrid coach, but that could change tomorrow."
Juventus, the French national team:
"They haven't called me. I'm only thinking about Real Madrid. I don't know anything about that. There's always talk...
Marcelo:
"He gets talked about a lot, in both good terms and bad terms, but he's a really important part of this squad and I'm pleased about the performance he put in [in the 2-0 Clásico win over Barcelona] the other day. When he's firing on all cylinders, his quality does all the talking."
Eden Hazard:
"I spoke to him after his injury and after the operation. He's doing fine. He was really upset about the injury, but he's in higher spirits now because the surgery went really well. Hopefully he'll be back with us soon, although I don't know whether or not he'll be back before the end of the season. It's possible."
Mariano Díaz frustrated over lack of game time:
"He just has to be ready to perform like the rest of the squad - there's nothing more to it. When you have such a good squad, it's hard to leave a player out."