Gago press conference
Fernando Gago said he believes his ankle will be completely healed by Saturday and that he will therefore be able to play in the derby with Atletico.
How’s your ankle?
I will be able to play in the derby. We’ll see what progress I make these next few days, but I believe I will be able to play in the derby.
What do you think of Atletico Madrid?
Atletico are a very good team, but we must think of ourselves in order to keep up this streak of consecutive victories.
Do you think you should avoid getting into an atmosphere of euphoria?
We depend on more victories to cut distances shorter. We should also think about the game in Liverpool.
Are Barcelona having a crisis?
I only think about us. We should carry on winning and avoid thinking about them. I didn’t watch their game against Atletico; I found out about their defeat later. We should just worry about ourselves because we are currently in great shape.
You’ll have a down slide at some point…
I hope we don’t. We should stay calm and prepare one game at a time. The match with Atletico will be great and we’ll have to take three points in order to keep the distance or cut it even shorter.
President Boluda said you are really just one point behind Barcelona because you’ll win against them at the Bernabeu…
You can’t win a game before it’s taken place. Playing against them at home will give us the advantage, but we should think about Atletico first because they are our next opponent.
What’s the key to the team’s success?
You have more chances of winning if you are psychologically strong. We must continue to have this mentality. Winning is all that counts.
Do you think this situation is similar to the comeback you had with Capello?
The dates are similar, but the championships were very different from each other. Each edition of the league has a different flavour. They aren’t very similar because we are currently the defending champions, whereas we hadn’t won anything in a few years back then.
Will you work especially hard to defend against Kun Aguero, as you did against Messi?
We knew Barça were having an amazing moment back then and that Messi was an unsettling player. Kun is dangerous and we’ll try to keep him under control, but we must play our own game, especially at home.
What’s easier to win, La Liga or the Champions League?
We’ll have to think about both while there’s a chance to win either of them. As a Real Madrid player I always want to win. We should aspire to win both titles.
How well do you think Raul did against Espanyol?
He’s been playing at a very high level for weeks. We all know how important he is for the team. He always works hard and runs after the ball when things don’t work out.
What will you do if you win La Liga?
I will enjoy the moment with my fanily and friends. Winning the league title is very important to us.
Juande to AS
In an interview to AS, the coach said the team won’t give up the fight in La Liga and in the Champions League.
We are four points behind the leaders now and people seem to think our work is over, but this has only just begun. Those who think we’ll easily catch up with Barça are wrong. This is going to be very long.
The merit belongs to my players. The distance was still 12 points after our sixth consecutive victory and in a meeting in Valdebebas they said to me, ‘Don’t worry coach. We’ll catch up with them if we continue to play like this.’ My men never gave up and that is precisely the key to our success.
The team’s mentality is to always try to win despite injuries, suspensions, opponents or who’s favourite in the bookies. The only thing that matters here is to win. My men and I were soon in agreement over that.
Raul’s work is amazing. I was forced to use him between lines and his surprise ventures in attack allow him to score more goals.
We will fight with Barcelona for the league title and with Liverpool to reach the next round in the Champions League. We won’t give up my friend.
Boluda on Punto Radio
The President talked about the current situation at the Club on Punto Radio.
We must keep our feet on the ground both in La Liga and in the Champions League. We must all realise the toughest part of the season is at hand and we must remain calm. The players must be concentrated. It is impossible to improve on this squad and the players must realise the moment they are going through.
I am worried about there being too much euphoria surrounding the team. This is the time to be calm. Each game will be more complicated than those before it. Saturday’s clash will be very difficult and there is much pressure on us.
Juande Ramos is an intelligent person, a football expert and a hard worker. Things eventually work out for great people like him.
Robben is a magnificent player. The only thing Juande said was that the team is also capable of playing very well without him. I think Robben is great and I believe we need every player on the squad. Sneijder is a magnificent player that currently isn’t performing at the high level we associate with him, but I’m sure he’ll be in optimum form again. We all have downsides.
A 1-0 victory against Barcelona at the Bernabeu is enough for me. I believe we’ll win in Anfield, but by how much I don’t care.
I’m convinced we can pull through, but in order to do so we must avoid euphoria and work very hard. We must be well aware of the situation we’re in.
I’m not thinking about carrying on as President. I’m here for a few months and I must end what I’ve started in a correct manner and leave Real Madrid were it deserves to be.
I arrived at a complicated time for the Club both on an institutional and a sporting level. The Board decided that the best way to normalise the situation was to do the things we are currently doing.
The General Assembly will take place again because the previous one unfortunately had people that shouldn’t have been there. The important thing now is to sort out a couple of things and support the coach and the players. We have to create a normal atmosphere.
There are always things we can improve on. People criticised the voting system in the previous Assembly, so the next one will have a modern and transparent system. I hope people don’t scream and insult each other again. I want respect to rule throughout. People should vote for what they believe in without pressure and with total liberty.
The current absentee voting system will not be used because it has been contested several times. That means it doesn’t work. We are studying how to use it this time around.
It is very difficult to be President of Real Madrid. You not only have to be a good President and a good administrator; you also need good results.
I wouldn’t like Real Madrid to become a corporation. The fact that it belongs to all of us, that you don’t just feel like a fan, is delightful.
Just another Madridista
Junta speak