Iker Casillas answered many questions from Fifa.com users. Here are some of the most interesting things he said.
You have to learn from every difficult experience. Just like when you’re little and you do an exam, and the teacher corrects you and that’s how you see where you made mistakes. Well it’s the same principle.
Zinedine Zidane is a very noble person off the pitch and was an exquisite player.
I couldn’t tell you who the best keeper of all time is, because I never saw people like [Ricardo] Zamora, Miguel Angel [Gonzalez] or [Lev] Yashin play. So I’ll have to stick to those who I have seen and of those I think I’d choose Peter Schmeichel.
I think that Madrid do keep track of their youth system.
Young players should first of all look to enjoy their profession and show enthusiasm; they shouldn’t only care about the financial side of it. If they approach it in the most professional way possible then the rest will follow.
The European Championship in Austria [and Switzerland] was a really huge moment for Spanish football. Personally, it was a goal that I’d been pursuing for a very long time: to be able to win something for my country with La Roja. We finally did it.
When we won I cast my mind back to all those players who had played for the Spanish national team before us and who had fought to win a [major] title, a success that we ended up pulling off. Seeing I was the captain I was fortunate enough to lift the trophy and I let out that roar. That roar was the release of so much adrenaline, the release of all the disappointments we’d had in the past. That shout was one of relief, as if to say ‘About time! Everything’s ok now’.
April 13, 2009 | Categories: Interview | Tags: Iker Casillas | Leave A Comment »
Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic congratulated the squad for their recent results and commented on the goals by Raul and Robben. Juande Ramos discussed his satisfaction with his team’s victory against Valladolid, but the Madridista coach also recognized that there must be improvement over the last eight matches. Arjen Robben was a happy camper after Real Madrid took care of business against Valladolid. Gonzalo Higuain and Pepe stressed the importance of the win after puting in spendid performances against Valladolid.
Mijatovic:
Winning was important after Barcelona had won. We needed to win to maintain the difference and to continue fighting for the league. We must continue winning and hope that Barcelona leave some points by the wayside. We’ve won 14 of the last 15 and must now begin thinking about the next match. Valladolid came to town to play well in the Santiago Bernabeu because it’s a great place to showcase your stuff. It took us a while, but a goal in the 44th minutes gave us the strenght needed for the second half. I am happy for Raul because he scored an important goal after several weeks of not finding the back of the net. Robben’s goal was the product of a great pass by Guti, and he kept his cool and scored and important goal.
Juande Ramos:
Taking the three points was vital after Barcelona won. We must maintain this form and continue to improve. We were up against a good team that last week showed just how well it can play. It wasn’t an easy match and there is a lot of pressure. We are obligated to win, which is psychologically exhausting. But the team is doing a great job dealing with it.
I try to design the most-balanced lineups possible in line with what is best for the team. We play the best we can and get the most out of the players we have. We are forcing Barcelona to win every week and to recognize that we are there in case they slip up.
Every player has his traits. Guti is a great player; one of the best in the world. But he has his virtues and defects like all the rest. Everyone who is playing is playing well, so it’s best not to make many changes. He was injured for a long period of time, which makes it harder to find a way back into the lineup.
Sneijder had received a knock and dealt with it as long as he could, but then he asked to be replaced. Cannavaro’s substitution was more for technical purposes. He had a yellow card and I didn’t want to risk playing a man down in the closing minutes.
The debate about the game is uncalled for. It’s easier to win when playing well than when playing poorly. The team wasn’t brilliant today, but we did win. No one says you have to win badly to take the points. We’ve had good and bad days, but our results have been good generally speaking. There are differences if comparing our game with that of Barcelona, but right now they are only capable of playing the way they do.
Robben:
It was a difficult match. We suffered quite a bit, but managed to keep the three points here. We can only win the rest of our matches and wait for Barcelona to slip up. Valladolid were a pesky team. We were a lot more calm after the second goal. Valladolid played very well. They were well-positioned and have a lot of good players. We struggled because we didn’t have the ball as much as we would have liked, but after scoring we stepped up the pressure and played better. You always know that a team has to touch the ball more and open up the field when it is losing, which is why there is more open space in defense. We scored a good goal but I think we could have scored more had we played better. I am happy with the goal because it was important for the team. I want to be important to this team. We have a week to prepare for Recre. We can train with peace of mind and work hard to bring a victory home from Huelva.
Pepe:
Winning is important, especially at home. Valladolid aren’t an easy team to beat, but we eventually managed to take the three points. It was especially important being that Barcelona won yesterday, but we responded well and are still on track. Goitom is a very strong, talented striker. He can cause a lot of problems, especially from set pieces. The team performed well on defense and was able to stop him. We have improved a great deal. The coach can count on any player because we are all answering the call.
Higuain:
I am happy because we won and were able to maintain the pressure on Barecelona. We know we cannot mess up, and that is why the team fought so hard. This victory serves us well. It may not have been a great match to watch, but we continue winning. We cannot have any setbacks. Luckily my goal in Malaga helped open up the match. I am happy to be of help to the team.
April 13, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Gonzalo Higuaín, Juande Ramos, Képler Pepe, Pedja Mijatovic, Real Valladolid | Leave A Comment »
Real Madrid won three important points on Sunday to keep their title hopes intact. The Whites withstood several Valladolid advances but managed to pull of the win with goals by Raul, who notched his 300th La Liga victory with Real Madrid, and Robben.
Cannavaro returned to the lineup for Real Madrid and was joined by Pepe, Heinze and Miguel Torres in defense. Lass was the midfield mastermind and Sneijder took position several yards in front of the Frenchman. The Whites took the initiative during the first few minutes and both Higuain and Raul could have given the team the lead.
Valladolid meanwhile were very organized in defense and stuck to a game plan that called for exploiting the left flank, where Goitom had room to work with. The visitors steadily gained confidence but were continually repelled by the Madridista defense. Among their scoring chances, the best was a free-kick taken by Pedro Leon that Casillas had trouble holding on to and that Prieto headered over the byline in an offside position.
Just when it appeared that the teams would head into the dressing room deadlocked at 0-0, Higuain lifted a ball between two defenders along the right wing and crossed a low shot into the box, where Raul beat Asenjo with a left-footer. Valladolid came close to equalizing with one minute remaining.
The second half opened with scoring chances for both sides. Higuain beat Marcos with a tremendous bicycle kick and got a powerful shot off that was subsequently punched clear by Asenjo. Pedro Leon was stymied by a sure-footed Casillas minutes later. Juande made his first changes on 63’ and brought in Guti and Gago for Huntelaar and Cannavaro.
Valladolid advanced its lines in search of the equalizer. Cannobio and Victor were unable to finish successfully, but the threat level increased. But just when it looked like Madrid might break, they dealt the visitors a lethal blow. Robben trapped Guti’s 40-plus yard pass and beat the keeper with a shot to the near post. A wave of calm blanketed the stadium with seven minutes to play, and once the final whistle blew, Real Madrid’s hopes for a league title were still very much alive. The Whites hit the road for their next final against Recreativo Huelva.
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Torres, Pepe, Heinze, Cannavaro (Gago 63′), Lass, Robben, Sneijder (Van der Vaart 74′), Higuaín, Raúl, Huntelaar (Guti 63′);
Valladolid: Sergio Asenjo, Pedro López, Prieto, Iñaki Bea, Marcos, Álvaro Rubio, Escudero, Borja (Aguirre 84′), Pedro León (Víctor 76′), Canobbio (Ogbeche 88′), Goitom;
Goals:
1-0, 44 min. – Raul
2-0, 82 min. – Robben
Referee:Mr. Ramirez Dominguez.
Booked: Cannavaro, Gago, Guti, Prieto.
April 13, 2009 | Categories: Match Reports, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Raúl González Blanco, Real Valladolid | Leave A Comment »
Just another Madridista
Post-match comments
Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic congratulated the squad for their recent results and commented on the goals by Raul and Robben. Juande Ramos discussed his satisfaction with his team’s victory against Valladolid, but the Madridista coach also recognized that there must be improvement over the last eight matches. Arjen Robben was a happy camper after Real Madrid took care of business against Valladolid. Gonzalo Higuain and Pepe stressed the importance of the win after puting in spendid performances against Valladolid.
Mijatovic:
Juande Ramos:
Robben:
Higuain:
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April 13, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Gonzalo Higuaín, Juande Ramos, Képler Pepe, Pedja Mijatovic, Real Valladolid | Leave A Comment »