Zinedine Zidane calls Real Madrid’s win at PSG “perfect”
By Ben Sundock
After an impressive 5-2 aggregate win against PSG in the Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane had nothing but good things to say about his side’s performance.
All quotes come via the Real Madrid official website.
Opening Statement
"“It was a perfect performance. We played high up the field, put the opposition under pressure and delivered a really good display. They all produced great performances and it wasn’t easy out there. We deserve to reach the next round and I can only but be happy. I can put any of them out there and they end up doing a good job.”“I don’t think that PSG performed poorly in the tie. They did well in the first leg and perhaps tonight they didn’t do quite as well because of what was a very good display from us. The sending-off changed the whole complexion of the game. We then scored our second and things became tougher for them.”"
High praise for Asensio and Vazquez
“It was important for us to have two banks of four and defend well against their wide players. Lucas is in fine form, as is Marco. They’re all performing well at the moment, but particularly those two. They both started the game and they did really well. I have to pick a side every three days and I went with these players tonight.”
“I’m here to prepare for the game. We delivered the match we were hoping for from a tactical perspective and ultimately the players are convinced by what we are doing in order to win the games. That’s the key, the belief in what we’re doing.”
The return of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric
“If they’re on the bench it’s because they’re 100% fit. Then it’s up to me to pick the team, taking into consideration several factors. I pick a starting XI and then we’ve got players who can come on later in the game. We put in a great performance, showed good discipline and pressed high up. They evaded that pressure at times, but I liked the fact that we were committed to playing in the opposition’s half. We made life difficult for them by playing so high up.”
Thoughts on Gareth Bale’s play
“Every player is important here. I’ve got the utmost respect for all the players and Gareth is no different. He didn’t play from the start in the first leg, or tonight, but I’ve got to pick a team. He’s a crucial player for us who provides a real attacking threat, and that will always be the case. We’ve got an awful lot of games and I have to pick the starting line-up, so everyone must be ready to play.”
More from The Real Champs
- The Xabi Factor: What Alonso could bring to Real Madrid as manager
- Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
- Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
- Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
- Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
Thoughts on the remainder of the La Liga season
“We’ve had difficult spells in LaLiga and in the Copa del Rey, but that’s part of football. It’s difficult to perform to the same standard every three days. We’ve got to take those difficult moments over the course of the season on the chin and keep working hard. We can’t win them all. We’ve done so tonight and we’re pleased, but now we have to focus on Saturday’s game against Éibar and it’s important to win that one as well.”
My thoughts
It’s very rare in any sport for a coach to call his team’s performance in a game “perfect.” Here, I think it is deserving of Zidane to heap praise on his team.
Despite poor performances in the league and a disappointing exit from the Copa Del Rey to a team Real Madrid had no business losing to, Zidane has kept his men focused on the Champions League and playing like the team of 2016/2017.
It has become common for fans and journalists to call the Champions League Real Madrid’s competition and the squad showed why in the first and second leg against a very impressive PSG side. Not enough is being said about how difficult that win in the Parc Des Princes really was.
PSG had won 19 straight at home and scored at will in the group stage of the UCL. Not in the knockout stage against Real Madrid though.
Next: Player ratings from Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Gemain
The tactics, lineup selection, and execution were all flawless from this side in both round of 16 matches and Zizou deserves a lot of praise for what he did for this team. It is absurd to think the club was considering moving on from the former legendary player and now legendary coach.
For the eighth straight time, Real is in the quarterfinal of this prestigious tournament and Zidane has yet to lose when in charge of this team in the knockout stages.