Week of rest a good thing for Real Madrid says Zinedine Zidane

After eight days of rest, Real Madrid will host Girona in La Liga play Sunday night. Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was happy his team got some time to rest up and had this to say in his pre-match press conference.

All quotes come via the Real Madrid official website.

Opening Statement

"“Not having any games this week has done us a lot of good and has allowed us to train and recover. LaLiga is a really competitive competition. There are no small sides and all of the teams are very strong. Girona are having a really good season. We study the opposition but the most important thing is what we go and do out there. We’ve worked really well this week and are looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”“All of the players enjoy playing games, but when you look at the league standings it’s tough for us to challenge for the LaLiga title. We have to see all of the games as being important in terms of our preparation. We’re sitting in third at the moment and we’ve got to reclaim second spot, it’s a significant target. Tomorrow we’ve got another chance to put in a great performance.”"

Thoughts on the international break

“There’s nothing we can do about it. All of the players are ready and 19 of them are going to join up with their national teams. That’s a lot of them but playing for your national team is important for our internationals because they’re representing their country. That’s the way the calendar is and I’m not sure whether it’s right, but we’ve got to respect it. The only thing we want is for them to come back healthy and fit.”

The Champions League quarterfinals against Juventus

“I see them as being just as strong as they were last year. They’re a competitive side, as they always are, and it’ll be a tough tie. It’s 50-50 at the minute. We go to their place first and we’ll have to see how it goes. I never thought there would be such a thing as hot and cold balls. We’ve been paired with strong opposition, but at this stage of the competition they’re all good sides.”

“Every time I come up against Juventus, a club where I spent five seasons, it’s emotional. I would have preferred to have avoided them for many reasons, but the draw has paired us with them. I will try to put my experiences there to one side, but they’re always with me.”

What’s Gareth Bale’s mood like?

“He’s not feeling down. He’s here and is happy to be with us at this club. He’s a key part of this squad.”

Thoughts on Lucas Vazquez getting called up to the Spanish team

“I’m delighted that Lucas Vázquez has been called up by the national team because he deserves to be back and involved. He’s always ready and is a good professional. He always gives 150% in everything he does. He’s in fine form and we’re benefiting from that. As his coach, I really value what he brings to the team.”

Praise for Raphael Varane

“When he hasn’t got any niggles in his knee, like at the moment, he gets a good run in the team. He needs to play and when he’s on top form, he’s a terrific player. He hasn’t played the last few games because he has to rest up, just like the rest of the squad, and that also helps him to avoid any fitness issues.”

Comments on Neymar joining the club

“The players and I think that he’s a very good player, but he’s not our player, and as a coach I must only speak about my own players. It’s not good to talk about players that aren’t ours and we have to respect the fact that he’s a PSG player. We’ve got some very good players in our squad. When the club signs a player, it knows that the team is above everything else. We just have to remain focused on the run-in.”

My thoughts

I think it is a very good thing these guys are not playing every three or four days this month. January and February proved to be quite grueling and with a week off between matches, and the international break coming next week, these guys will be energized come April.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t know why Gareth Bale is always a topic of discussion in these press conferences. There has been no news regarding Bale the last week so why bring it up now?

Another thing I find puzzling is all the discussion on topics not relating to the match Sunday. Why ask about the UCL matchup with Juventus several weeks before the first leg. The Neymar question is another example.

Can the media relax on this subject? It has been non-stop rumors for well over two months and to be honest, I’m getting really sick of seeing people talk about it.

Next: Real Madrid vs. Girona: Three things to watch for

Patience is a virtue.

Lucas Vazquez is very deserving of the call-up to the Spanish national team squad and Zizou has to be happy with the form the winger has been in as of late.

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