Post-match comments

Juande Ramos was happy with the victory against Almeria and praised Marcelo, Huntelaar and Lass. Pedja Mijatovic commented on the victory against Almeria. Robben and Marcelo were happy with the victory. Both said the team has to continue to fight hard to win the league title.

Juande Ramos:

The result was adequate for the game we played. I would have liked my team to dominate more. We have to keep possession longer at the Bernabeu, but I am satisfied with the victory. I think Lass and Huntelaar have been helping the team out enormously in both competitions. We may have regretted inscribing Huntelaar in the Champions League in the long run. We don’t know what would have happened. The fact is they are both playing at a very high level. We played magnificently well in Bilbao and I wanted the same men to play again. It’s fair that way. We have a large squad and some players have to miss some games. Guti has virtues and faults, just like every other player, and we must focus on the former. I think he is a very intelligent player and we will try to make him play his best football. I’m not bothered by people saying I am a defensive coach, but we average three goals per game in our last six clashes. Numbers speak for themselves. Marcelo is improving and he feels gradually better as an interior left midfielder. He scored an amazing goal that will boost his confidence. The fact that he opened up the score is great for both him and the team.

Pedja Mijatovic:

I think the team played well in a game that was somewhat cold probably due to how early in the day it took place in. We aren’t used to playing at 17:00. It was important to win today. We took three points and our good streak and good work continue. Almeria tried to defend and attack well. We suffered a little too much in the first half, but we reacted after half-time. We should focus on each game at a time without thinking about the math. We have to continue working well despite what Barcelona do. We have to try to cut distances short in the following ten games. The streak we are having is impressive. It isn’t easy to stand undefeated in 13 consecutive games. We have to keep it up. I think we’ll be able to pull it off, but in order to do so we must focus on each game as if it were a final. I am very happy for Marcelo because he is young and has a bright future. He is playing well down the left. Huntelaar has proven to have great goal-scoring skills. The coach always wants to try out different players because the next few weeks will see suspensions, injuries, etc. It’s good to give benched players some time to play because we will eventually need all of them.

Robben:

The only thing we can do is win our games and play well. We must just think of ourselves. We played badly in the first half because the pace of the game was rather slow and there was hardly any intensity. We played much better in the second half. We found more spaces after Marcelo scored his goal. Huntelaar is incredible; he is always well positioned. He scored two goals from two deflections. I’m going to join the Netherlands for an international game that we will also win.

Marcelo:

I’m very happy with my goal. I got to the ball in time and shot hard. We are a family and I like to celebrate my goals with all my team-mates. One player alone can’t win a game; we are a family. This is an excellent result for us because it is another victory and it means we didn’t fail. We will continue to fight for the title despite the stoppage due to international games. We are anxious to return in order to keep trying to catch up with Barcelona. The Brazilian coach also has faith in me. I’m interested in Barcelona’s result tonight, but I’m not worried about it. We have to work even harder and keep fighting. There are still many games left.

March 23, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Juande Ramos, Marcelo Vieira, Pedja Mijatovic | 1 Comment »