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Real Madrid defender Marcelo Viera regreted Los Blancos missed chances against Malaga, that caused his team to drop two points and lose the first position in La Liga.

“We wanted to earn all points. We tried every possible way, through the wings, through the middle, in corner kicks… But the ball just didn’t go in,” he said after the match.

“It is not a matter of Cristiano scoring or not. We are not worried about that. It wasn’t just Cristiano. The ball just didn’t go in. Jese, Modric, Isco and Benzema also had chances, and Malaga’s goalkeeper saved everything,” he added.

Asked about the role of the referee, who disallowed two Real Madrid goals, Marcelo excused his mistakes: “Referees can fail, just like us. I’m not the one to jugde who has failed and who hasn’t.”

The Brazil international also blamed fatigue for the dropped points: “When you play as hard as you can, it is normal to be tired. We’ve played many games in a very tough week. We run a lot in Bilbao and you could tell it today. I feel fine and and I’m here to do what the manager asks of me.”

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Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez says his team deserved to win against Malaga but came up against a team that just wanted to sit back and defend.

Los Blancos had 34 shots during the game but failed to get past an inspired Kameni in the visitors’ goal. One the one time they did put the ball in the net, through Isco, it was ruled offside.

The 0-0 draw means Real have given up top spot in La Liga and the winning run has come to an end. They remain unbeaten under Benitez though.

Speaking at his press conference afterwards, the boss stated: “These things happen in football. You dominate large parts of the game, you create loads of chances, but you can’t hit the target and you end up with a goalless draw. The players carved out chances to score and take all three points. When a team sit back and defend, as happened in the second half, it becomes more difficult for you to find space, but even so we had a lot of clear goalscoring opportunities.”

He also joined the chorus of those calling for more technology is football when discussing Isco’s ruled out effort.

“I didn’t see if it crossed the line or not. There were two or three situations you could talk about. I won’t say anything. A goal-line official for these kinds of scenarios and the goal-line technology used in other sports would always be helpful,” he stated 

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Keylor Navas admitted Real Madrid players were “angry” at themselves at the end of the game against Malaga, after failing to score a single goal despite their uncountable chances.

The Costa Rica international had a brilliant performance and helped his team earn a point in their 0-0 home draw against the Andalusians, but Los Blancos were not pleased with this result that sees them lose the first position in the table.

“The match was complicated. Many times we try to find an explanation for this type of games. We have to calmly look into it and assess what our mistakes have been. We could have won, but we didn’t. We are angry,” the Los Merengues stopper confessed.

“We didn’t want to drop a single point, but the fight goes on. We have to look forward because we had a long way ahead. We will try not to drop more points and reach our goals,” Navas added.

Asked about his crucial saves that prevented Malaga from earning the victory, Navas said he is “quiet and working fine.” “Today I was able to help when the team needed me, and that’s what I work for every day,” he concluded.

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Real Madrid had a terrible night in attack as they dominated Malaga completely but failed to score a single goal in 34 shots on target. Goalkeeper Carlos Kameni was the hero for his team.

Rafa Benitez men finished the game completely desperate after missing so many chances and losing the first place in the table. To make matters worse, Jese Rodriguez had to leave the pitch injured.

After seven minutes, Ronaldo had the ball in the back of the net after meeting a cross from Luka Modric, but the referee considered he was in an offside position and disallowed the goal.

Los Merengues had plenty of opportunities in the first minutes. Ronaldo again came close to opening the score, but his header from a Marcelo cross was over the bar.

Real were in total control of possession, but Malaga also had their chances. Juan Carlos fired wide of the post following a super cross from Amrabat.

Down the other end, Jese dribbled past the right-back and slashed one to the bottom corner, but Kameni made a super save.

The Malaga goalkeeper was the best player of the match. Two minutes later, he denied Ronaldo again as the Portuguese burst through on goal send a shot into the far corner.

After the break, Real Madrid continued to miss one opportunity after another. Ronaldo had another glorious chance as he met Marcelo cross, but Weligton deflected his effort wide of the post.

Jese was next to pass up an incredible chance for the hosts, picking up a loose ball inside the box and clipping it over the bar.

As the game neared its end, Kameni became the hero. After 34 shots on target, Los Blancos were unable to beat the Cameroon international.

In stoppage time Isco finally managed to get the ball in the back of the net after receiving a pass from Modric. The flag was raised when the Croatian received the ball and the ball was disallowed, but the replay showed the goal should have been conceded.

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has called on Los Blancos fans to get behind their team at home and make the Santiago Bernabeu a fortress.

At the club’s AGM, Perez explained the importance of getting behind the team and encouraging them rather than adding to the pressure they are under to perform well.

While the majority of the fans are positive and get behind the team, a small section of supporters has been critical in recent seasons with the players’ performances. Ex-Los Blancos captain Iker Casillas was subject of plenty of jeers from the fans, while Gareth Bale and even Cristiano Ronaldo have been booed for some perceived below-par performances.

“For Madridistas, the Santiago Bernabéu is our temple. Much of our image stems from it. When some supporters publicly question some of our players inside the stadium, we’re weakening our image and also weakening our team opposite its rivals. We must cheer our players on, particularly when they need it most,” Perez said.

And he went on to tell members: “Going to the Bernabéu is about getting behind our players and encouraging them. It’s about supporting them unconditionally. That’s what being a Madridista is about. And that must be unshakeable.”

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Rafa Benitez explained injured players will not recover on time to feature against Malaga on Saturday. Thus, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Danilo and James Rodriguez will miss the La Liga clash.

In a press conference ahead of the game, the Spaniard said these players “are improving, but they are not ready yet.” He also revealed Pepe could also miss the match: “He ended the match against Athletic with problems and we are considering whether taking the risk of lining him up or not.”

Asked about the team’s great start of the season, Benitez was cautious: “Numbers are good, but a race doesn’t end in the first curve. We have to keep collecting good statistics to be able to fight for all titles at the end of the season. We are fine and we are confident, but we know this is just the start.”

The Los Blancos manager also explained why Cristiano Ronaldo has not been affected by his rotation system yet: “The most important player you have to keep in the field is the one that can score a goal at any moment. If a match gets ugly, you always try to keep that player in the field.”

Modric has also played more minutes than the average, and Benitez said he will rest when needed: “When we value the player’s condition, we look assess how he is feeling, we speak to the physiotherapists and doctors… This could be a game for Modric to rotate, but he says he is fine.”

Asked about the system he’s using, Benitez said “this is something you have to modify depending on the players and the match.” “We started with a 4-3-3 formation and made adjustments when necessary. Sometimes it can be confusing, but it can solve many problems. In the pre-season we worked tactics, but now we spend less time with that because we need more intense trainings,” he added.

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Real Madrid - Malaga - La Liga 36

Real Madrid take on Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening looking to maintain their place at the top of the table.

Los Blancos beat Athletic Bilbao midweek, with Karim Benzema netting a brace to extend Madrid’s winning run in La Liga to four games and remain unbeaten since the start of the campaign.

Real are top scorers in the division along with Celta Vigo, with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo netting five apiece. They have conceded just once in the season so far too, with Keylor Navas falling just five minutes short of setting a new club record for not conceding when Sabine Merino netted in the 67th minute at San Mames.

Today’s visitors go into the game without a win in La Liga and sitting in 19th place with just one point. They are also yet to score a goal in the league – the only team to fail to score in their opening five games so will be huge underdogs at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In terms of team news, Sergio Ramos looks likely to sit out the game with a shoulder injury, while there is no Danilo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez – all long term absentees. Jese Rodriguez will likely start on the bench despite Rafa Benitez praising him for his work ethic in training over the past few weeks.

For the visitors, striker Nordin Amrabat looks to have shaken off his ankle problem, but Roque Santa Cruz is ruled out.

Possible line-ups:
Real Madrid: Navas, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo, Carvajal, Ronaldo, Kroos, Kovacic, Modric, Isco, Benzema
Malaga: Kameni, Weligton, Angeleri, Rosales, Boka, Horta, Tissone, Recio, Duda, Juanpi, Charles

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Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma has hit out at people criticising Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo saying negative comments are totally unjustified.

The 30-year-old Los Blancos forward hit a career best 61 goals for his club last season and recently became the club’s all time league goalscorer. He is just a few short of becoming Real’s all-time scorer – a record he is sure to set in the coming weeks.

But his outstanding goalscoring feats haven’t stopped criticism of the three-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Pundits have picked up on the fact he has scored just 18 of his 263 free kicks taken from outside the box, while some have claimed his goalscoring feats are only impressive because he has taken plenty of penalties.

Speaking to Marca, Quaresma, who plays for Besiktas in Turkey, said: “I don’t understand how some people dare to criticise Cristiano Ronaldo after everything he’s done in football. In terms of his mental strength he’s one the players I most admire, I’ve never seen a player as strong as him in that sense. He scores 50 or 60 goals every season, challenges for the Ballon d’Or. I don’t know what else they can ask of him

“I think people are unfair to Cristiano sometimes, although deep down it gives him the strength to carry on.”

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Italian side Napoli are keen to take Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez on loan in January, according to reports.

Madrid-based daily AS says the Seria A side, who were managed by Real boss Rafa Benitez for two seasons prior to his switch to Los Blancos in the summer, want to give the striker the chance to gain regular first team football while boosting their chances of success in the league and Italian Cup competitions this season.

Jese has only featured one league game this season, playing 55 minutes of Real’s opening day draw with Sporting Gijon.

Reports have suggested he is unhappy with his lack of first team opportunities under Benitez and would welcome a fresh start.

Earlier this week though, the boss said Jese has been superb in training and will get his chance to show what he can do.

“He has been sensational in training. I’m the first to give him confidence and I have showed my faith in him. I have to create a competitive atmosphere amongst the players. There are certain players who have an edge in terms of their experience.

There are certain younger players with a lot of talent who need to work hard and as the fixtures unfold I’ll play them one at a time. The games themselves also influence these decisions. You have to adjust specific positions. The younger players have to push hard to reach the same level the most experienced squad members are at,” he said about the 22-year-old.

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has once again spoken about the departure of former captain Iker Casillas saying the goalkeeper wanted to leave Los Blancos for a new challenge.

The 10-time Champions League winners came in for plenty of criticism over the summer for their handling of the transfer and Casillas’ exit.

It was felt that he was forced out of the club as they made plans to sign David de Gea from Manchester United – a move that failed to happen anyway. Casillas held a press conference in which no member of the board were present – something that the club got slammed for.

The next say, Perez appeared on the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu with the World Cup winner in a hastily arranged and rather tense photo opportunity event.

But speaking to club members at the annual general meeting, Perez said Casillas wanted the move to Porto.

He said: “Iker Casillas, and Iker Casillas alone, made the decision to leave Real Madrid. Having received an offer from Porto, he urged us to help him to accept it. And in the face of his firm decision, that’s what we did, because among other things he deserves it.

“He’s the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid and the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Spanish football. He has helped to make this club even more legendary and, as I said on the day of his farewell, his example lives on at this club, because his manner of conducting himself points the way forward for all those who dream of being a part of this team.”

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