- Title: Real Madrid ready to get back to winning ways
- Date: 1st October 2016
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 1, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF REAL MADRID PLAYERS TRAINING FORWARD CRISTIANO RONALDO TRAINING PLAYERS TRAINING COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE TRAINING PLAYERS TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE SAYING: "I care, as always, about what we are going to do. And we are going to try to go back to winning ways. We are going to do everything in our hands to win the match. From the first to the 90th minute." GOALKEEPER KEYLOR NAVAS, MIDFIELDER MATEO KOVACIC, RONALDO AND DEFENDER PEPE WARMING UP PLAYERS TRAINING RONALDO JUGGLING THE BALL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE SAYING: "I'm not worried about that. What he does, not only in the matches but also in the training sessions… he knows himself very well and works very hard. Due to his high performance we always demand more from Cristiano. If he doesn't score (people say that) he has played bad and that is not something new. I don't see it that way. I see him well, every day better. He needs to play." STRIKER KARIM BENZEMA TRAINING PLAYERS TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (French) REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE SAYING: "I'm not the one who should speak about this. I'm not the national manager. I can't answer that question. What I can tell you is that I haven't spoken about that with him because what I care for is Karim playing better and at a high level with us, Real Madrid. We haven't spoken about that." PLAYERS TRAINING LEFT BACK MARCELO TRAINING APART FROM THE REST OF THE SQUAD NAVAS AND FORWARD GARETH BALE AT SESSION PLAYERS WARMING UP BALE AT SESSION VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING
- Embargoed: 16th October 2016 14:08
- Keywords: Soccer Spain Real Madrid Zidane
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0015269LQ7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane did not press the panic button on Saturday (October 1) despite a third straight draw for his team ahead of Sunday's (October 2) home game against Eibar.
The La Liga leaders failed to beat Villarreal and Las Palmas and then drew 2-2 at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday (September 27).
Real twice led against Borussia but were pegged back.
Against Eibar, Zidane said his side must give it all from the first to the last minute if they want to go back to winning ways.
"I care, as always, about what we are going to do. And we are going to try to go back to winning ways. We are going to do everything in our hands to win the match. From the first to the 90th minute," he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo snapped out of his recent lean spell with his 95th Champions League goal after failing to find the net against Villarreal and Las Palmas - a game in which the Portuguese was substituted, much to his apparent disgust.
Asked about Ronaldo performance in recent games, Zidane said he is not worried, saying the Portuguese is always criticised if he doesn't score.
"I'm not worried about that. What he does, not only in the matches but also in the training sessions… he knows himself very well and works very hard. Due to his high performance we always demand more from Cristiano. If he doesn't score (people say that) he has played bad and that is not something new. I don't see it that way. I see him well, every day better. He needs to play," he said.
Real are currently without Casemiro, the Brazilian midfielder who fractured a bone in his leg in a win at Espanyol on Sept. 18 - the last time his team won.
Midfielder Luka Modric, and left back Marcelo are ruled out due to injury while Sergio Ramos is rested.
Karim Benzema was left out of France manager Didier Deschamps' 23-man squad for a friendly against Italy in Bari on Thursday and a World Cup qualifier against Belarus in Borisov five days later.
The striker was suspended indefinitely by the French Football Federation in December 2015 after being put under formal investigation by a judge for an alleged plot to blackmail France team mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex video. Benzema denies any wrongdoing.
In a news conference where the coach named his squad, Deschamps said Benzema won't return to the France squad for the good of the national team.
Asked about this situation, Zidane said he is not the one who should speak about it.
"I'm not the one who should speak about this. I'm not the national manager. I can't answer that question. What I can tell you is that I haven't spoken about that with him because what I care for is Karim playing better and at a high level with us, Real Madrid. We haven't spoken about that," he said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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