Zidane on Liverpool, Celta Vigo, Mendy, Hazard
Zinedine Zidane spoke to the media ahead of Real Madrid's clash with Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday.
Celta game: “We mustn't forget last week. In fact, the opposite is true. We're happy, but we've got another game and we want to continue doing well as a team. We're going day by day. We've recovered from the last game and now we have a demanding match in Vigo, against a side that knows how to play very good football. I'm focused on that game. I'm not going to speak about the rest".
Coaching France after the Euros: “I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game, nothing more.”
Drawing Liverpool in the Champions League: "We know it's going to be a difficult game. At this level every team is very tough. It's going to be a demanding game. We know about them and they are going to demand more from us physically. That will be after the internationals and we're focused on the game in Vigo. We don't know what will happen after 30 March. We'll play wherever they tell us to play. We prefer to play at the Di Stéfano".
Mendy’s more expansive role. Who is responsible for this change?: "He can do a lot out on the pitch, like many others. He doesn't have a single role. They're very good players. He has to contribute defensively and in attack too. Mendy is one of those who can also contribute in attack".
The world of football: "The world of football is what it is. I've always loved football. I've been able to play for this great club and coach this great club. All we can do is enjoy it because one day it will come to an end".
Real Madrid news:
Upcoming calendar after the international break, Liverpool-Clásico-Liverpool: "It's the same every year. In the final stretch, March and April, everything is at stake. I don't pay attention to those things. I just focus on day to day life, which is what drives us. The rest is philosophy. We're still alive in two competitions and we want to give everything and be well prepared.
Position of Spanish football in Europe with only one representative in the quarter-finals: "It means nothing. It's a coincidence. The Spanish teams are all very good. That will not change this year. The Spanish clubs will always be there."
Performances of the veterans: "I see the passion they have to always do more, to want more, showing that they are the best. Every day I enjoy what I see from them.”
Will you continue at Madrid?: "I do not look beyond the day to day. I do not plan anything. You can sign ten years here and tomorrow you are out. And vice versa. What encourages me is the day to day and the rest is discussions in which I can't play a part.”
Hazard won’t undergo surgery. How is he?: "What we want for Eden is that he recovers well, totally. That is the most important thing for us; and that he does not go under the knife. Maybe we are going to have a different plan. We want him to come back. well, fully recovered.”