Page 427

By -
2

Cristiano Ronaldo has said Saturday was a day to forget after Real Madrid lost 4-0 to Atletico de Madrid.

Every Madridista’s nightmares came true at the Vicente Calderon as Thiago, Saul, Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic gave the hosts an emphatic win. Los Blancos only had one shot on target all game.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ronaldo, who was back in the side after completing a two-game ban, said: “We played very badly. From back to front. Nothing worked out. A day to forget as soon as possible. Madrid cannot lose 4-0 against any team in the world. But I see positive things in defeats – this must serve as a lesson for the future. We are still leaders, but we know we will have to fight until the end. The gaps are small. We must think positively.

“This is a crappy day because the dressing room is annoyed, but we must think positively because we are still top.”

Prior to the Christmas break, Los Blancos won 22 games in a row, setting a new record for consecutive wins. Since returning to action they have been in poor form, having been defeated in the Copa del Rey and losing to Atletico and Valencia in La Liga.

Asked why Real have been playing so poorly, Ronaldo said the team isn’t fresh. He commented: “The team is not fresh, not physically nor mentally, in my opinion. There is no need to see that as an excuse. The error is already made, and we must lift up our heads. There is no need to feel sorry for ourselves, as there’s still a long way to go in La Liga. We are still first.”

By -
2
Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid right back Daniel Carvajal has said the opening half hour of the derby against Atletico de Madrid was the worst in the club’s history.

Los Blancos found themselves two down after Thiago and Saul – on for the injured Koke – found the net early on. The hosts also created a number of other good chances with Real were in total disarray. Things didn’t get much better in the second half either, with Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic adding to the scoreline.

Speaking to  the press afterwards, Carvajal admitted the players were angry with themselves and apologised to the fans.

“That could be the worst 30 minutes Real Madrid have ever played, gifting chances and creating nothing ourselves. We’re still angry, but the truth is in the result and we’re definitely feeling pretty down,” he said.

“I would like to ask our fans for forgiveness. We were not up to the task today and we have to congratulate [Atletico] because they were the better team. What we have to do is forget this match and this result as quickly as possible,” he added.

When asked for his thought on whether Real have a problem beating the city rivals – they’ve not done so in six attempts this season – he commented: “It’s true they have won the last few derbies, but let’s wait until the end of the season and see who has the titles.”

By -
5

Carlo Ancelotti admitted Real Madrid played their “worst game since I arrived” in their 4-0 defeat against city rivals Atletico Madrid.

“I have to take responsibility for the loss. It’s been our worst game since I arrived at the club. We have to keep our minds cold and change our attitude. We’re still at the top of the table, but our match was bad, very bad,” he said at the press conference.

The Italian manager believes “Atletico deserved to win.” “They began the game stronger in the fight, better organised, winning second balls… We’re hurt for this loss and we will have to change so it doesn’t happen again in the future,” he added.

Asked about the players’ performance, Ancelotti said “they all failed.” “We always arrived late, lost all air balls… Not a single player has played well,” he confessed.

“I’m not going to forget this game because we’re going to learn from these mistakes. Everyone has to take his responsibility and the coach has to be the first.”

“We haven’t exerted a good pressure, we haven’t controlled possession, we haven’t counter-attacked… We didn’t even have chances to score. We had nothing,” the Italian concluded.

By -
1

Real Madrid put in their worst performance of the season to get an embarrassing defeat against city rivals Atletico Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo had a terrible evening in his return from a two-game ban.

Los Blancos lacked intensity and made many defensive mistakes, allowing Diego Simeone men to produce a goal fest thanks to Tiago, Saul Niguez, Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic.

Atletico extended their unbeaten run against Los Merengues to six games and cut their La Liga lead to four points.

The host began the contest looking very threatening in the wings. Tiago made it 1-0 before the 15-minute mark as he caught a loose ball in the edge of the box and fired a powerful shot straight to Iker Casillas. The ball went to fast for the keeper to react and it ended on the back of the net despite Casillas’ touch.

Five minutes later, Guilherme Siqueira produced a brilliant play on the left flank and assisted Saul, who sent an acrobatic overhead shot in off the post.

The two early goals destroyed Los Merengues, who looked mentally blocked during the rest of the game. Cristiano Ronaldo lost every ball he touched and Los Blancos didn’t even shot on target during the first half.

The two-goal lead allowed the Colchoneros to focus on defending in the second half, although they looked lethal in every counter-attack. Griezmann poked Saul’s header to make it 3-0 with 67 minutes on the clock.

Carlo Ancelotti men were already eager to head to the dressing room when Mandzukic met a Fernando Torres cross and headed it for a fourth.

Barcelona can cut Real Madrid’s lead to one point if the manage to beat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Sunday.

By -
0
Atletico Madrid Real Madrid match preview

Cristiano Ronaldo returns from his two-game ban in La Liga in a crucial moment for Los Blancos, who visit arch-rivals Atletico Madrid suffering a multiple injury blow.

Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez fell injured on Wednesday as Los Blancos beat Sevilla in La Liga and they will be sidelined for some time. The Spaniard will not return until the second week of March, while the Colombian could be sidelined for up to three months.

Marcelo will also miss the derby as he received his fifth yellow card of the season against the Andalusians and the Spanish Sports Administrative Court refused Los Merengues’ appeal.

With Pepe and Luka Modric still on the sidelines, Carlo Ancelotti faces the tough task of displaying a strong defensive line to face Atletico.

Nacho Fernandez, who put in a brilliant performance against Sevilla, will feature at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane. Daniel Carvajal will return to the right-back, but Ancelotti is yet to decide whether Alvaro Arbeloa or Fabio Coentrao will play on the left. The Spaniard has got more minutes lately, so he could be the coach’s pick.

Sami Khedira could feature at midfield pairing with Toni Kroos, while Gareth Bale will return to the left wing leaving the striker role to Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

The victory against Sevilla saw Los Blancos move four poinst clear of Barcelona at the top of the table, while Atletico sit third, seven points behind Real. A win would leave the Colchoneros trailing ten points and with very few chances of winning their second La Liga title in a row.

Diego Simeone has all his men available and he will surely aim to continue his good streak against Los Merengues. Atletico have been unbeaten in their last five clashes against their city rival, and their high-intensity game has caused Ancelotti men big trouble. Should they beat Los Blancos, the fight for La Liga would become far more exciting.

Possible line-ups:

Atletico Madrid: Moya; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Siqueira; Koke, Gabi, Tiago, Arda Turan; Griezmann, Mandzukic.

Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Arbeloa; Bale, Khedira, Kroos, Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo.

By -
0

Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez has told his team mates they have to beat Atletico de Madrid on Saturday.

The youngster scored in the midweek game against Sevilla which Los Blancos won 2-1, and he has urged the team to follow that up with another win that would all but end Atletico’s hopes of catching Real in the title race as there would be a 10 point gap.

Speaking to the media after netting against Unai Emery’s side, Jese, who spent nine months on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament injury, told reporters his goal would give him confidence personally.

“Obviously scoring always gives you more confidence, it’s a very important goal for me and I needed a goal to keep on improving. I’m very happy,” he said.

And switching his attention to the match against their local rivals, he added: “This week’s games are very difficult and important. Today we were made to work really hard and that’s normal. On Saturday we have to send out a big statement by winning at the Calderón. We’re really up for it and we’re going to go all out. There’s a long way to go in the league and we have our destiny in our own hands, but we have to win.”

By -
4

Carlo Ancelotti has said he has faith in his young players ahead of this weekend’s vital clash with Atletico de Madrid.

The Italian will be without the services of senior players Sergio Ramos, James Rodriguez, Luka Modric and Pepe for the visit to the Vicente Calderon as all of them are injured. Ramos picked up a hamstring strain against Sevilla on Wednesday and is expected to be out for three weeks. Rodriguez broke a bone in his foot in the same game and will be on the sidelines for around two months.

Left back Marcelo will miss the game through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, although the Champions League holders will welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo after he completed his two-match ban.

It means Los Blancos will go to their cross city rivals with a young team, with Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez expected to be partnered in the heart of the defence.

Speaking after the game against the Andalucian side, Ancelotti told the media he has full confidence in the youngsters.

“We lost some very important players but I won’t rue over that. I have a lot of faith in the others. The Nacho-Varane partnership did extremely well and I have a lot of faith in them. We are going to appeal the Marcelo yellow card because it wasn’t a foul. We lose some experienced heads but sometimes an injection of enthusiasm is a good thing. Ramos and Pepe are two of the best players in the world in their position, but I’m not worried,” he said.

“We saw the same Jesé from last season. He is really motivated and has trained very well. He helped the defence out and put in a very complete performance,” he added.

 

By -
1

Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez has said the team always goes out to win no matter who plays.

The young defender will step into the team alongside Raphael Varane this weekend against Atletico de Madrid after Sergio Ramos and Pepe were both ruled out through injury.

The centre-back played most of the game midweek against Sevilla after Ramos pulled a hamstring early on. And he says he’s ready to play at any point and isn’t daunted by the task of playing Atletico, even though Real have failed to beat them in five games so far this season.

Los Blancos have a growing injury list, with Ramos, Pepe, Luka Modric and James Rodriguez all sidelined.

“The cutting edge this team has is immense. We come away with three very important points and now we’ll focus on Saturday,” he said of the game against Sevilla.

When talking about the missing players, he responded: “They’re players who have been playing at the club for a long time and we’ll feel their absence. We have a lot of players out, but we’re Real Madrid and we always go out to win. The coach has top players who are ready for anything. And he’ll think about what he needs to do. It’ll be a great game. The capital derby.”

 

By -
0

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted as the best footballer in 23 years of Premier League history in a poll conducted by market research website Usurv.com.

The Los Blancos player, who turned 30-years-old yesterday, received 24% of the votes, beating Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who came second after obtaining 18% of the votes.

Ryan Giggs came third with 13% of the votes, just one per cent more than Alan Shearer and Eric Cantona. All of them are currently retired. In fact, Ronaldo is the only active player among the top-5.

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard got 10% of the votes and finished sixth in the ranking. Dennis Bergkamp, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira completed the top-10.

25 per cent of the people included in the voting could not decide who to pick as the best player in Premier League history.

Ronaldo arrived to the Premier League in the summer of 2003. He scored 118 goals in 292 appearances for Manchester United and was awarded with the Ballon d’Or after lifting the Champions League title with the Red Devils in 2008.

He left Manchester in 2009 to join Real Madrid in a world-record 96 million euros transfer.

Poll results:

  1. Ronaldo (24 percent)
  2. Henry (18 percent)
  3. Giggs (13 percent)
  4. Shearer (12 percent)
  5. Cantona (12 percent)
  6. Gerrard (10 percent)
  7. Bergkamp (5 percent)
  8. Zola (3 percent)
  9. Keane (2 percent)
  10. Vieira (1 percent)

By -
0

Real Madrid will pay a visit to neighbours Atletico Madrid on Saturday in another city derby. Los Blancos know the game against the Colchoneros is very important because they can beat one their main rivals for La Liga’s title. It will also be important for Carlo Ancelotti at a personal level since he might want to get revenge on Fernando Torres.

The Italian manager was one of the main supporters of Torres’ signing for Chelsea in February 2011. Ancelotti was the Blues coach at that time, and he fought hard to bring the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge.

According to the Bristish press, the West London club made Liverpool an initial offer inferior to 50 million euros. However, the Reds remained immovable and rejected that bid, as they believed it was too short. Chelsea didn’t want to spend more and started studying other signing, but Ancelotti insisted he wanted Torres.

Roman Abramovich fondness for collecting world-class stars also contributed to Chelsea increasing the bid to 58 million euros. Liverpool accepted the offer and gave green light to Torres’ move to London. They would use that money to sign Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll as the Spaniard’s replacements.

However, Torres didn’t pay back Ancelotti for his trust. In fact, his first six months at Stamford Bridge were a total failure: he played 18 games and scored just one goal, against West Ham and on Resurrection Sunday.

Torres’ poor numbers didn’t help Chelsea reach their objectives, as they failed to conquer the Champions League and the Premier League titles. Thus, at the end of the season the club decided to get rid of Ancelotti, so it could be argued that Torres played a crucial role in the Italian’s exit.

Moreover, Torres upset Ancelotti again in the recent Copa del Rey tie scoring two key games for Atletico Madrid to beat Los Blancos. Will Ancelotti be eager to take revenge?

1...426427428...733Page 427 of 733

www.gambleaware.co.uk or www.gamcare.org.uk
Please gamble responsibly