Pepe believes Liverpool won’t be as defensive in Anfield as they were in Madrid and that the Whites should take advantage of that.
What did you think of the derby?
We needed points and we eventually took one. Everything counts in the fight for the league title.
Do you think your absence was very noticeable in defence?
Atletico deserve credit. Their forwards are very good. We had to work hard against them and we suffered a bit.
Do you still believe you can win the league title?
Barcelona have to play at the Bernabeu. Defeating them in Madrid would leave us three points behind. The league is open and we will fight to the end.
Do you think it was a mistake to bench Higuain?
We should be prepared for anything. The coach wanted to save his strength for the match in Anfield because he is a very important player. We should support the coach in the decisions he makes.
What will be the key to win in Anfield?
The return leg will be different. I don’t think Liverpool will focus so much on defending. We should take advantage of that.
Are you worried about Gerrard?
I’m really worried about the team as a whole. They all work hard and know exactly what they have to do. They are all quality players and they didn’t really miss him in Madrid. We will have to concentrate hard on the game.
March 8, 2009 | Categories: Press Conference | Tags: Képler Pepe | Leave A Comment »
Juande Ramos analysed the derby for the press. Gonzalo Higuain and Arjen Robben shared their views on the derby when the match was over. Fabio Cannavaro believes Atletico missed too many of their chances. The defender stressed that the team must now focus on Liverpool. Sergio Ramos said the derby was “very open” and that the team must now concentrate on winning in Anfield.
Juande Ramos:
We needed a victory in order for our streak to continue. We faced a complicated opponent and the game was always open; both teams could have won. We could have taken the lead early on. Robben, Marcelo and others had chances on goal and the game would have been very different if they had scored. Atletico could have won the game with their counterattacks.
Atletico always play like this because they have fast and dangerous men in attack. The necessity to win a game forces you to attack. Tonight reminded me of a King’s Cup game; victory is all that counts in that championship.
I took Raul off because I wanted to freshen up our attack with Van der Vaart’s brilliant set piece skills. We had chances to win the game. Guti hasn’t played 90 straight minutes in a long time. He isn’t as fit as the rest and I decided to substitute him. I wanted the team to have more physical drive.
We were able to reduce the distance with Barcelona in eight points in just a couple of weeks, so I believe we can do the same now that the distance between us is six points. The difference is just two games. There are 12 matches left in La Liga, but we must now concentrate on our Anfield game. It will be a tough and thrilling encounter and my men are anxious to make the fans happy.
Gonzalo Higuain:
There are many of us on the squad and it doesn’t matter to be benched sometimes. We are a team. We drew a match in which victory was important for us, but there are many games left. We are Real Madrid and we are not going to stop fighting for the title.
We are very excited about playing in Anfield. We want to reach the next round. I’m sure the atmosphere there will be amazing.
Arjen Robben:
The game was open and both sides had chances to score. We wanted another victory, but we shouldn’t worry too much about it. We have to keep on fighting and working hard, and we must now concentrate on Tuesday’s game.
The match in Liverpool is very important for Real Madrid. We will have to make work hard again. All of the games left in the season will be like finals to us.
Fabio Cannavaro:
I think we just took a point tonight because we didnt’ play well. Atletico were well positioned and scored in a counterattack. They counterattacked many times in the second half. We wanted to make a comeback and win, but I think Atletico missed many of their chances.
A team doesn’t work well when it isn’t well balanced on the pitch and things like this may happen. We have to play like we used to soon because we can’t fail on Tuesday. We must play like a team again and forget about this match as soon as possible. We must now talk about Liverpool.
We didn’t play well tonight, but this sometimes happens after ten consecutive victories and right before an important game like the one we’ll play on Tuesday.
You must always be optimistic, especially in football. Anything can happen.
Sergio Ramos:
Atletico had good chances on goal, but so did we.They didn’t use theirs well. I think there could have been more goals in the game.
We are still alive in both La Liga and the Champions League, and we want to stay that way. We will work along the same lines and learn from our mistakes, always keeping an eye on both competitions.
There was maybe more distance between our lines tonight. We didn’t perform too well in certain situations and they are very dangerous when they counterattack. We failed, but we have to improve and play closer together.
We always do our best on the pitch, but we don’t always achieve what we want. We were anxious to play the derby and we are very excited about the match in Anfield. We must now think about how to make a comeback in the knock-out stage.
March 8, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Atlético Madrid, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Fabio Cannavaro, Gonzalo Higuaín, Juande Ramos, Sergio Ramos | Leave A Comment »
Real Madrid and Atletico put on a great show that thrilled the crowd at the Bernabeu. The exciting match ended in a draw thanks to goals from Forlan and Huntelaar.
Despite the absences of Pepe and Sneijder, Juande Ramos had no trouble coming up with a strong starting line-up. Lass took on right back duties and Guti returned to the starting 11. The new face on the Atletico front was Camacho, who played instead of Maniche.
The game was very tight and players plagued midfield. Guti created the first chance with a cross into the box that Ramos picked up, but Leo Franco cleared his shot with his fists. Guti tried again seven minutes later with a powerful shot that hit the keeper and produced a corner-kick. Robben later had a great chance. He dribbled past several defenders, but his finishing touch was again met by Franco.
The match grew quiet and both teams had fewer chances. Robben again dribbled the ball brilliantly past Ujfalusi and Antonio Lopez, but his shot hit the keeper (21′). Aguero was the first Rojiblanco to come close to scoring a goal. He faced Iker Casillas alone and the keeper’s great reflexes saved the day (35′). Suddenly things changed for the Whites. The ball landed at Aguero’s feet after a corne-kick served by Real Madrid. The Argentinean began a fierce counterattack and gave a brilliant pass to Forlan, who defeated Casillas and put Atletico in the lead (37′).
The Madridistas looked for an equaliser at the start of the second half. Juande replaced Guti and Heinze for Higuain and Salgado, positioning Lass in midfield and Marcelo as a left back. The goal came soon after the substitutions. Higuain sent the ball to the front edge of the box, where Huntelaar controlled it and scored a brilliant and precise goal (57′). The game opened up again and Atletico had the next chance when Forlan’s shot from a pass by Aguero hit the near post (58′). Raul responded by seneding the ball over the crossbar a few minutes later (69′).
Both teams put on a great show as they looked for a winning strike. Atletico’s attack was vibrant and dangerous, but inconclusive. Real Madrid were more poised and organised, but they also failed to score. Raul nearly did from an amazing bicycle-kick on the 80-minute mark, and a free-kick from Van der Vaart nearly went through the top left corner of Franco’s goal, but the encounter continued to be a tight affair and ended with a 1-1 score.
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Heinze (Míchel Salgado 56′), Lass, Gago, Robben, Guti (Higuaín 56′), Huntelaar, Raúl (Van der Vaart 85′);
At. Madrid: Leo Franco, Pablo, Ujfalusi, Antonio López, Heitinga (Perea 81′), Paulo Assunção, Simao, Ignacio Camacho (Maniche 70′), Maxi Rodríguez (Sinama Pongolle 62′), Agüero, Forlán;
Goals:
0-1, 38′ – Forlan;
1-1, 58′ – Huntelaar;
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán.
Booked: Míchel Salgado, Fernando Gago, Paulo Assunção.
Notes: Matchday 26 in La Liga.
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Attendance: 78,000.
March 8, 2009 | Categories: Match Reports, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Atlético Madrid, Diego Forlan, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | Leave A Comment »
Just another Madridista
Post-match comments
Juande Ramos analysed the derby for the press. Gonzalo Higuain and Arjen Robben shared their views on the derby when the match was over. Fabio Cannavaro believes Atletico missed too many of their chances. The defender stressed that the team must now focus on Liverpool. Sergio Ramos said the derby was “very open” and that the team must now concentrate on winning in Anfield.
Juande Ramos:
Gonzalo Higuain:
Arjen Robben:
Fabio Cannavaro:
Sergio Ramos:
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March 8, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Atlético Madrid, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Fabio Cannavaro, Gonzalo Higuaín, Juande Ramos, Sergio Ramos | Leave A Comment »