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Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas still has years at the top of the game, according to international teammate David de Gea.

The Manchester United shot stopper, formerly of Real’s city rivals Atletico de Madrid, told Cadena Cope that Casillas is still a world class keeper who has a lot to offer and shouldn’t lose his place in the side any time soon.

The 33-year-old has come under increasing pressure at international level following a poor World Cup. Spain were knocked out in the first round, and Casillas conceded five goals against Holland in the opening fixture and followed that up by conceded another two as La Roja lost to Chile.

National boss Vicente del Bosque has overhauled his squad since that tournament, and de Gea was named from the start in the friendly defeat against France.

But the keeper says he expects Casillas to be in goal for years to come and it is up to the young Spanish players to push the more senior ones for their places in the side.

“I do not think a lot about replacing Iker. He is still young for a goalkeeper and can still have plenty of years at the top level in football,” he stated.

And he continued: “It’s getting a little weird the way the team’s changed. Those players have carried Spain for many years and have been key to this team, but the young people pushing hard will do just as well.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has said he made the right decision in joining the club this summer and has no regrets over the switch to the Spanish capital.

The 24-year-old left Bayern Munich in a 25-million-euro deal shortly after winning the World Cup in Brazil with his native Germany having rejected the chance to extend his contract at the Allianz Arena.

Speaking to German sports paper Bild am Sonntag, Kroos said he was happy with his move and in terms of his career it is a step up to be playing at the 10-times European Cup winners.

“I’ve done everything right – I’m 100 per cent satisfied. In a worldwide standing, Real Madrid are a small step ahead of Bayern Munich,” he stated.

And he went on to discuss the experience of his presentation to the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu the day he signed for the club.

“If I just think about my presentation at the Bernabeu, there were 20,000 fans there even though I had never played a single second for Real. Something like that is inconceivable in Germany. In Spain, the football fans are more emotional about the game.”

Kroos has won a host of trophies in the game despite still being young. He has already lifted the German title, German cup, Champions League and World Cup. And he told the paper he hopes to continue lifting trophies in Spain.

He also told Bild about his hopes of lifting the European Championship with Germany, one of the few major honours missing from his CV. “If I look at all my list of honours, then a European Championship is all that I’m lacking. That should give me all the motivation I need,” he stated.

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Spain take on Macedonia this evening in their opening Euro 2016 qualification game and the paper in Madrid have plenty of build up to the match.

Indeed AS looks at the goalkeeper situation at the club and says Iker Casillas will return between the sticks after David de Gea played in the friendly against France on Thursday.

In terms of Real Madrid news, Marca looks at the battle about to commence between Karim Benzema and Chicharito for the starting role up front in the side. The Frenchman was away on international duty last week when the Mexican signed so they have not met yet, but both will take part in training this morning and will be keen to show Carlo Ancelotti what they are capable of ahead of this weekend’s clash with Atletico de Madrid.

Elsewhere, Daniel Carvajal looks set to miss out on the derby after he pulled a hamstring while on international duty. He has returned to Madrid for treatment but it looks like he will be short for the game at the weekend, meaning Alvaro Arbeloa will cover at right-back.

Finally, there seems to be increasing pressure on Zinedine Zidane as boss of Real Madrid’s second string side after they lost their third consecutive match. They are yet to record a win in Segunda B under the Frenchman.

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Casemiro

On-loan Porto midfielder Casemiro says Real Madrid are still one of the top teams in Europe despite the sales of Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso.

Los Blancos have come under fire for allowing the pair to leave, and the 4-2 loss to Real Sociedad saw many pundits claim the team is weaker now than it was last season, despite the arrivals of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez among others.

Speaking to Marca about Real, he said: “Real Madrid’s form is still the same, because last year they also had fantastic players. Real Madrid is still a top team; I don’t think anything has changed despite the comings and goings.”

The Brazilian, who found himself on the bench for much of his time at the Santiago Bernabeu over the past 18 months, said his temporary switch to Porto is a good move for him.

He told the Madrid-based daily he decided to leave the 10-time European Cup winners for the chance to play more regular first team football and at a club that is playing the Champions League this season.

“Coming here has been a step forward in my career. Porto have a great structure to it and, like Real Madrid, are a great club. If everything turns out right, maybe instead of one, this move is three steps forward. After these first two months, everything is going marvellously,” he stated.

And he added: “I wanted more playing time, but also to play tougher matches, like the ones we play in the Champions League or those that will come in the Portuguese league. That’s why I chose Porto, a great club that will give me the opportunity to play at the highest level. It wasn’t just about leaving for any old club. I wanted to compete, and Porto is one of Europe’s top clubs.”

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Italian side Napoli are considering a move for Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa in the January transfer window, according to reports in Spain.

Fichajes.net says Rafa Benitez, manager of the Seria A side, wants to raid Los Blancos for the fourth time in recent years to take the Spain international to Italy. Arbeloa knows Benitez as the pair worked together at Liverpool.

The 31-year-old right-back, who can also cover in the centre of defence, was linked with a move to Napoli in the summer but the move failed to materialise. He was also believed to be keen on a move back to the Premier League with London sides Chelsea and Arsenal keeping tabs on his situation at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The defender may be tempted to leave the 10-time European Cup winners in the winter as he is having to be content playing second fiddle behind Daniel Carvajal at right-back. It is believed Carlo Ancelotti would not prevent the player leaving should he wish to do so, and a fee in the region of five million euros would be enough to prize him away.

Napoli signed Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol last summer from the Santiago Bernabeu side.

 

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Cristiano Ronaldo has denied any rift with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez over the club’s transfer dealings and said comments he made last week were misinterpreted.

The 29-year-old was reportedly unhappy last week at the business carried out by the club in the transfer window and was claimed to have said that if he was president of Los Blancos he would have done things differently.

The Portugal forward was particularly close to Angel di Maria, who was sold to Manchester United for 75 million euros, while he saw Xabi Alonso as a key player in the side.

But the forward, who was not selected for international duty this week to allow him a proper break from the game to recover from various niggles, said the remarks were taken out of context. He says he is fully behind the president and also his new teammates Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Keylor Navas and Chicharito.

Taking to social media site Twitter to clarify his position, Ronaldo stated: “My statements were misinterpreted. Yesterday I heard the president and I’m with him 100%.”

And he followed that up by saying: “My new teammates are great! With them we have completed a great team. We’re going for it all! A hug and Hala Madrid!”

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Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal has said he is delighted to have been included in the Spain squad for the games against France and Macedonia.

The 23-year-old made his debut for Vicente del Bosque’s side in the 1-0 defeat to France earlier this week and is expected to keep his place in the side for the trip to Macedonia, who La Roja take on in their first qualifying game for Euro 2016.

Carvajal played a key role in helping Los Blancos win the Copa del Rey and Champions League last season and his fine form saw him being called up in the 28-man preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup in Brazil.

But when del Bosque announced his final 23, Carvajal found himself cut from the squad and had to watch his team mates at home.

The former Bayer Leverkusen player has continued his good form into the start of this season and was finally picked by del Bosque to make his debut in the friendly against the Euro 2016 hosts.

Speaking at a press conference after the game, Carvajal told journalists he has been made to feel welcome by the more established stars and his is delighted to play for the national side.

“I feel very comfortable and my colleagues have treated me very well on my arrival. I am very happy. Macedonia is an important game as the first qualifying match. We can’t be taken by surprise,” he said.

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Iker Casillas

FA Cup holders Arsenal are eying an audacious swoop on Real Madrid for Iker Casillas and Sami Khedira.

The duo are both out of contract next summer and have yet to agree new deals with the 10-time European Cup winners, meaning they can speak to clubs in January about a lucrative Bosman transfer elsewhere.

According to the Daily Mirror, Arsene Wenger wants to secure the signature of World Cup winner Khedira to boost his midfield options, particularly with both defensive midfielders, Mikel Arteta and Matieu Flamini, being in the autumn of their careers.

The 27-year-old was linked very heavily with a 25-million-euro move to the Emirates Stadium this summer but a deal failed to materialise and following the sale of Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich, Los Blancos would not sanction a deal for Khedira too.

Fichajes.net claims the Gunners are also keen on taking Casillas to North London to compete with Polish shot stopper Wojciech Szczesny. The 33-year-old club captain has had a difficult couple of years at his hometown club, having to play second fiddle to Diego Lopez. He has won his place back in the side now as the number one keeper although there is growing pressure on Carlo Ancelotti to drop the Spain captain and play summer signing Keylor Navas.

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It’s another busy morning with plenty of Real Madrid news in the press. And we’ll start today with Marca looking at a possible switch in position for Gareth Bale.

Los Blancos haven’t fired on all cylinders yet this season and have look sluggish so far, with the new signings still bedding in following their arrivals in the summer. One of them, James Rodriguez, has been used in a number of positions and Carlo Ancelotti looks to find the right balance in the team.

And Marca says Gareth Bale may be mover back into the midfield three alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, allowing Rodriguez to play in the front three with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale has shown his versatility in the past, and started his career as a left-back at Southampton, so could be converted into a midfielder if needed.

Elsewhere, following injuries to Sami Khedira and Fabio Coentrao, there is finally some good news on that front with Marca saying Jese Rodriguez is doing ball work again as he nears a comeback. The young forward ruptured his cruciate ligament against Schalke in last season’s Champions League and has been working hard for the last six months towards a return to fitness.

Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo has cleared up comments attributed to him last week. AS has coverage on the front page saying his is 100% behind president Florentino Perez and backs the new arrivals to perform.

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Former Real Madrid defender Christoph Metzelder has said forward Cristiano Ronaldo is one of just a few untouchable players at the Champions League holders.

Los Blancos sold Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso in the summer, two players who played a key role in helping the side win the Copa del Rey and Decima last season, and replaced them with Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

And speaking to German sports magazine Kicker, Metzelder said the club showed in the transfer window it was happy to dispense of some of the so-called stars. But he added it was a different story with Ronaldo, who he described as ‘untouchable.’

“Its part of Madrid’s strategy to always sign new stars. They have a feeling that they cannot afford to have a summer without a big transfer,” the German said.

And he continued: “They are the best team in Europe as Champions League winners, yet they keep bringing in new players for crucial positions. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the few untouchables, plus some of the Spain internationals. All of the others are interchangeable.”

He also sought a reason why the club sold di Maria, whose exit has been unpopular with Madridistas.

“Angel Di Maria did not do enough for Madrid’s brand. But if you’d asked his team-mates, they would probably all have said that Madrid should have held on to him. It was the same for Mesut Ozil last year,” he stated.

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