Real Madrid extended their La Liga win streak to three Wednesday afternoon against Leganes thanks to a handful of players contributing. Here is what manager Zinedine Zidane had to say after his team’s 3-1 win.
All quotes come via the Real Madrid official website.
Opening Statement
"“The key thing for us is to pick up more points and another victory, the fourth in a row. We’re happy to move into third in the table. It’s a significant result and a big match day, because only we put points on the board. We’ve now scored 26 goals in this run of games.”“We’ve had a tough spell and now things are coming off for us because we’re doing a good job. We’re playing with confidence, we’ve got more belief and we’re all giving that bit extra.”“The result of all that is that we’re winning games again, we’re not worried if the opposition score. Last year we scored a lot of goals late on in games. We’ve got to accept what football is about and try and come from behind.”"
Thoughts on the winning streak
“We’re always looking forward and that’s crucial to continue our winning run. We’re back in third place and we intend to keep going until the end. We must keep this run going. Now it’s time to rest up because we’ve not got much recovery time.”
On Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez’s recent run of form
“Lucas and Asensio have always been important and I’m over the moon for Lucas because he deserves it. He scored and fought hard despite the injuries he had beforehand. Asensio did well too and Kovacic was phenomenal. We have had tough times and we have to enjoy this moment. What matters is they do well and show their flair when they take to the pitch. I have to come up with a starting eleven and that can be tough at times. It is great for me to see those players who have played less, coming on and playing well.”
Thoughts on Gareth Bale’s play
“I’m pleased with him, he needs to take it slow to get back to his best. We are in a good dynamic and I’m happy. I rely on all these players.”
Was he upset conceding a free kick goal?
“I’m not worried. That’s football. I’d rather concede and then score three or four. Conceding early on comes from a lack of concentration but I’m not fretting. I would be worried if we didn’t react but tonight we did and we got the win.”
My thoughts
Zidane is clearly happier with his team’s overall chemistry and form as of late as he should be. While there are still defensive gaffs that need to be sorted out, the team as a whole is playing much, much better than they were in the fall.
Yet again, the manager was willing to rotate his squad heavily and it worked. This is, of course, a good sign as when Zizou rotated his squad in the second half of last season, good things happened and his players were fresher at the business end of the schedule.
I thought it was odd to ask a question about being upset with the free kick goal because of all goals Real Madrid has conceded this year, this one was nothing more than luck. It was unfortunate how the ball bounced around in the box and Casilla wasn’t able to parry the ball away.
This wasn’t a defensive gaff and overall, I would say that this game was a good defensive showing.
While the squad rotation has gotten better, Zidane is still not including Marcos Llorente or Dani Ceballos as much as he should. These two guys are young and eager to show their worth to the club. Giving them five minutes or so to play is not nearly enough for them to make an impact.
Next: Player ratings from Real Madrid’s 3-1 win against Leganes
For Saturday’s match, I think it should go without question that both should start. Casemiro needs a rest and Ceballos needs more playing time. With Luka Modric and Toni Kroos both out, this is the perfect time to inject them into the starting lineup for a few matches to see what happens.
Ceballos started against Alaves the last time these two teams met and the young midfielder bagged a brace. Why not repeat that this weekend?