In speaking with the media Saturday, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane made it clear that he wants to win against FC Barcelona in El Clásico. Here is everything the gaffer had to say ahead of the match.
All quotes come via the Real Madrid official website.
Opening Statement
"“There’s a positive tension within the camp and we come into the game on the back of a good result. We’re in fine fettle and are well rested after the Champions League game. We’re ready for tomorrow’s match.”“It’s a game in which there are points at stake. The result won’t alter the league standings, but we have to put in a good performance and do everything to try and win it. As for the players who are carrying knocks, our approach will be the same as always. If any of them have any niggles they won’t play and we’ve got a lot of players who are available to come in for them. Varane and Isco are fit enough to travel tomorrow and we’ll see whether there are any changes to the status of any of the players this afternoon.”"
Thoughts on Sergio Ramos’ leadership
“He is a really representative figure within the squad for what he has achieved as a player. He has been here for many years and is our leader and captain. He’s an important player in everyone’s eyes and right across the game he’s a role model in terms of his dedication and how he motivates others. I’m delighted to have been able to share part of Sergio’s career with him. I played with him for a season.”
Comments on Andres Iniesta playing his last El Clásico
“As I said the other day, he’s a player that we admire. He’s not just any other player. We all know what he’s like as a person too. I’ll speak to him tomorrow, congratulate him and wish him all the best for the future.”
Will the referees play a big role in this match?
“I’m not going to get involved in this discussion. We deserved to be in the Champions League final for how we’ve performed since the start of the season. We’ve won some tough games, as you’d expect us to. We mustn’t downplay what we’ve achieved. The issues surrounding the referees won’t change what people think. All we’re bothered about is appreciating what we’ve done. We’ve fought and put in the hard yards on the pitch. That’s what we’ve done against all of our Champions League opponents.”
Fearful of potential injuries?
“No, not at all. It’s not something that I think about, if I did there would be no point in playing tomorrow. We need to play as we always do and try to give our all. If anyone isn’t 100% fit they won’t play, but the rest of them will.'”
Why this is no guard of honor for Barca
“They didn’t give us a guard of honor and, with all my respect, we won’t be giving them one because they didn’t give us one. We have respect for what Barcelona have done, they’ve won LaLiga, which, as I’ve always said, is the most difficult thing to do. I congratulate them and that’s a show of my respect. It’s a personal decision and is nothing to do with the club. I’m not going to break with tradition but we’re not going to go and do something that they didn’t.”
More from The Real Champs
- 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
- PSG want €100 million Real Madrid player to replace Kylian Mbappe
“Let me clear things up on this one. I’m not the one who decides that we won’t give them a guard of honor. I’m led to believe that after our Club World Cup win, it wasn’t important for them to give us a guard of honor. Some people have said that it was because they weren’t involved in the competition, but to compete in the Club World Cup you have to win the Champions League and we’re all involved in the Champions League.”
Is the guard of honor a way to show respect or ridicule?
“It’s neither. I don’t want to change anything. I’ve explained what has happened. There was a tradition in place and it was recently broken. We can’t say that Madrid were the ones to break it.”
Looking ahead to the use of VAR
“No doubt there will be more talk of the referees. The VAR system will be in place next season and it’s only going to get bigger. We have to accept it because it’s the technology that’s out there and that’s all there is to it. There are some things that I don’t agree with, but let’s not get into that.”
If Real Madrid doesn’t win the UCL, will it be a failure?
“It wouldn’t be a failure. It wouldn’t have been a good season and it would really be down to the start we made to the LaLiga campaign. Now at the end of the season, we’re performing as we should. But I wouldn’t call it a failure.”
Comments on playing at the Camp Nou
“It’s just another game, but I’m sure that the motivation levels are even greater in games against Barcelona. Our recent results there have been good, but that can soon change. We want to put in a good performance and try and win.”
Thoughts on Karim Benzema and Keylor Navas
“They’re both big characters and are good at ignoring the criticism. For me, the best players are the ones that make a difference in the big games. They both did very well in the semi-final. During the course of your career, you have your ups and downs, but they’ve shown that they can be relied upon at key times.”
The significance of El Clásico
“We can’t be thinking about injuries and have to show good intensity, which is the best way to prepare ourselves for the final. The LaLiga title is done and dusted for this season and there’s less excitement surrounding the game, which is perfectly normal. That’s the way of things before the match, but when it kicks off I don’t imagine that there’ll be any lack of excitement.”
My thoughts
My favorite part of this entire press conference is Zidane’s comments on the guard of honor. Everyone around Spain is making such a big deal about Real Madrid not giving Barca a guard honor when in reality, Barca did the same thing to Los Blancos not half a year ago.
The manager is exactly right in his remarks about the Catalans participating in the Champions League and not giving Real a guard of honor after they won the FIFA Club World Cup. While the side from northern Spain may say they didn’t participate in the Club World Cup, they technically did.
The only way to qualify for the competition is by winning the Champions League. Barcelona did not win the UCL. It’s pretty simple.
Next: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: El Clásico preview
It is very good to see that both Isco and Raphael Varane returned to training Saturday ahead of the trip after it looked like they would miss out on this important match. If both are able to play, it will be a huge addition to the squad.
However, if there is any remaining doubt that they are not 100 percent, Zidane should not hesitate to leave them on the bench. After all, this match means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
This match will still be fun to watch as that rivalry spirit that exists between these two sides should make for an exciting back and forth game.