Lassana Diarra has become an extremely important player at Real Madrid in just three months. The midfielder believes the team can catch up with Barcelona in La Liga.

Your numbers at Real Madrid are better than Makelele’s. What do you think of that?
I’m honoured to be compared to him and the fact that my numbers are better makes me even happier. But I’ve only been here three months. You’ll have enough time to compare us when my career is over.

Do you feel more comfortable with Sneijder or with Gago?
I like to play with both. Gago steals more balls and Sneijder attacks more. They are both very talented, so I don’t really have a preference.

What’s the secret for such a fast adaptation to Real Madrid?
There are no secrets. I am grateful to the fans and my team-mates. They’ve both played an essential role. The experience I had at great clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal has also helped me adapt to Real Madrid.

Do you think you are more important for the team as a midfielder than as a right back?
I’m at the team’s service and I will play wherever the coach tells me. I am versatile and have no problems with playing as a right back.

What’s the atmosphere in the dressing room like?
We were unhappy after the defeat at Anfield, but there is a perfect atmosphere. There are no problems between members of the squad and we are already thinking about our game against Almeria.

Do you think Barcelona may lose some games?
I don’t want to talk about Barcelona. We have to win our eleven games. We’ll be waiting for them to lose points. I am convinced we are capable of winning all our matches.

Are the Premiership and La Liga very different from each other?
There are four English teams in the Champions League quarterfinals. The Premiership is more physical and La Liga is more technical. They are both interesting.

Does the squad feel it can make a comeback?
There is a positive atmosphere on the squad. Our goal is to win the title by winning every game. We are very much alive and I think we can catch up with Barcelona. We proved we can in Bilbao.

It always seems like you and Casillas are the best players on the team.
I am very happy about having a team-mate like Casillas, but the entire team helps win a game.

What did you think of the atmosphere at San Mames?
It was rather wild, but we looked for a victory and the three points, which were all that really mattered to us.