Page 585

By -
0

Carlo Ancelotti believes Jese Rodriguez has what it takes to book himself a place in Spain’s World Cup squad for this summer’s tournament in Brazil.

The 20-year-old forward has enjoyed a sensational first season within the main team set up at the Santiago Bernabeu scoring eight goals so far in 27 appearances in total, mainly from the bench. He has drawn comparisons with Real legend Raul, who scored 10 goals in his debut season with Los Blancos.

There is little doubt Jese can do it on the big stage such as at the World Cup, having already scored in three of Spain’s most iconic and intimidating stadiums this season – the Nou Camp, San Mames and the Mestalla. He also further his big game player credentials by netting in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico de Madrid.

Jese has yet to win a senior cap for La Roja, but has been a key part of the Under-21 side. It is believed Vicente de Bosque will call him up for next month’s friendly match though.

And club manager Ancelotti says Jese is ready. Speaking to Canal Plus, he stated: “It’s not an exaggeration to talk about Jesé going to the World Cup. There are a lot of players like him, who have had a great season and will have a great World Cup.”

By -
0

Plenty of pre-match build up to the Champions League game against Schalke in today’s Madrid press, and Marca goes to town on the return of Ronaldo.

“The Giant Returns” screams its headline. Having sat out the last three league matches through suspension, the Portuguese is available again and should be feeling rested after a few weeks off. Madridistas will be hoping the 29-year-old carries on from where he left off in the Champions League, having already scored nine goals in five matches this season.

Marca as an interview with Real legend and former Schalke striker, Raul. The former La Roja forward says it would be difficult to pick a winner between the two teams. And in his ideal world, if he was allowed to play, he’d play the first leg in German for the Bundesliga outfit, and the second leg infront of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd in a Los Blancos shirt.

AS, meanwhile, is particularly enjoying the ongoing crisis at Barcelona and opts for that story as the main one on its front page. Yesterday, the Catalan club was ordered to pay 11.2 million euros to that Spanish tax authorities over the Neymar transfer, but they maintain no wrongdoing happened.

Elsewhere, Enzo Zidane, the son of Real legend Zinedine Zidane,has opted to play fro France ahead of Spain having been called up to the Les Bleus’ Under-19 squad.

By -
0
Champions League trophy

Real Madrid emphatically earned a 3-0 victory against Elche in La Liga despite the visitors putting in a brilliant defensive performance that prevented Los Blancos from displaying their best game.

That has given the team a moral boost ahead of the first leg of the Champions League last-16 round against Schalke 04 on Wednesday.

Defender Daniel Carvajal confessed “this result gives us confidence, another 3-0.” “Wednesday we’ll have a tough game because Schalke is going to play very tight and will try not to concede a goal. We’ll do our best and try to win,” he added.

When asked about the subsequent game next weekend against Atletico Madrid, Carvajal said: “We’re not thinking about the league or the derby right now; Schalke comes first.”

Raphael Varane also spoke about the Gelsenkirchen clash. “The Champions League is one of our objectives; it is a very special competition for the club and we are really looking forward to this match,” the Frenchman stated.

The young centre-back confessed he’s not going to play on Wednesday, since he’s only playing a game a week to protect his knee from farther injuries. “Soon we’re going to make it two a week. My knee isn’t swelling up. I’m fine and my fitness is improving,” he admitted.

When asked about the line-up he will display in Germany, Carlo Ancelotti said: “We’ll look at how Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao are and then we will send out the best possible team. The players who don’t play on Wednesday will play next weekend against Atletico,” he told reporters.

By -
0

Real Madrid’s 3-0 triumph over Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu was perhaps a significant event in the outcome of La Liga this season.  That win, combined with defeats for Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid, means Los Blancos are three points clear at the top of the table.

The victory was also a significant one in Carlo Ancelotti’s managerial career, as it means he now has 350 wins in the league as a boss.

It was his 20th victory in La Liga with Real Madrid in just 25 games, meaning he has an impressive 80% win record at the Santiago Bernabeu. The free-flowing football on display this season has seen Los Blncos score 71 goals in the league so far.

His is first job as manager was in his native Italy, where he started out at Parma. He recorded 33 wins in the league there, before presiding over 50 victories at Juventus. The longest time he has spent at one club is at AC Milan, and as boss of La Rossineri, he lead the team to 163 league wins and a Seria A triumph.

After Milan, Ancelotti moved to the Premier League, where he spent two seasons, winning 48 league matches and the Premiership title in the process in his time at Stamford Bridge. Before his move to the Spanish capital, Ancelotti lead PSG to 36 league wins and the Ligue 1 title.

The Italian boss is now after his fourth league triumph in four separate countries, and after this weekend, moved a step closer to achieving that.

By -
0

Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco is wanted by English side Arsenal, according to a report in British tabloid Metro.

Arsenal were strongly linked with a move for German side Schalke’s young prodigy Julian Draxler, but the 20 year old now looks likely to move to domestic powerhouse Bayern Munich, and Isco looks to be the Gunners alternative.

Isco, who signed for Los Blancos in the summer for €30 million on a five year deal from Malaga, had a very good start to the season, and has scored nine goals in 33 appearances in all competitions this season.

However since the turn of the year, Isco has only started one game in the league, despite putting in decent performances when Carlo Ancelotti has selected the midfielder.

Isco can play as a central midfielder, or could possibly play any position behind the striker, and Arsenal hope to sign the 21-year old for €36 million.

Arsenal pulled off a remarkable swoop for Real Madrid star Mesut Özil, signing the German international for a club record £42.5 million, and are confident of pulling off another ambitious move for one of the Bernabeu’s prized assets.

As well as Özil, Isco could end up playing alongside former Malaga teammate Santi Cazorla.

By -
0

It turned out to be a perfect weekend for Los Blancos in the end. Carlo Ancelotti’s men won their match easily on Saturday morning, and handed the pressure over to Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid.

First, Barcelona slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Real Sociedad, and last night, Diego Simeone’s Atletico warmed up for next weekend’s Madrid derbi at the Vicente Calderon by being hammered 3-0 at Osasuna. The result means Real Madrid are three points clear at the top of the table with 13 matches to go.

Both Marca and AS focus on the fact that Los Blancos are top of the table on their own after more than 20 months since the last time that happened. AS runs a story about the turnaround completed by Ancelotti and his team.

Back in October, Los Blancos fell to a 2-1 loss at the Nou Camp against Barcelona. The press went to town on the team criticising Gareth Bale’s performance, and Ancelotti for his confusing tactics. The loss meant Real were left six points behind their Catalan rivals in La Liga.

Since then, they have gone 26 matches unbeaten and lie three points ahead. Some turnaround! The unbeaten record hasn’t gone unnoticed, and Ancelotti is second behind Leo Beenhakker in the record for the most amount of games unbeaten. Speaking to the press, Beenhakkker joking said he’ll send an email to the Italian manager saying “Don’t touch my record”, which stands at 34 matches without loss.

By -
1

Rumours are indicating that ex-Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will look to test the resolve of his former club with a summer transfer bid for Raphael Varane.

Varane joined Los Blancos in 2011 aged just 18, but, under guidance and faith from Mourinho, quickly established himself as one of the best young defenders in world football.

The Frenchman has a release clause of £25million in his contract and it is believed that Mourinho, the current Chelsea boss, would be in favour of meeting that figure to bring the youngster to West London.

In a recent interview Varane commented on his appreciation from Mourinho: “He’s a winner, a competitor, and he transmits that to his players. Wherever he’s gone he’s always created teams with lots of character. His personality and charisma were felt by the whole team,” he said.

The 20-year old has suffered recently due to various knee injuries which have limited him to starting just seven matches for Los Blancos so far this season.

These injury problems mean there may be slight doubt over Varane’s Real Madrid future, but Mourinho is still keen to help the youngster reach his full potential.

Chelsea also recently acquired another young French centre-back, Kurt Zouma, from Saint Etienne in the January transfer window for £12.5m as the Portuguese does not seem to favour David Luiz, and John Terry’s contract runs out this summer.

By -
0

Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa has said the 3-0 scoreline against Elche doesn’t reflect how hard the Los Blancos players had to work to pick up the three points.

Goals from Asier Illarramendi – his first for the club in La Liga – Gareth Bale, and Isco, secured the win that took Madrid to the top of the table. Barcelona’s defeat at Real Sociedad later on Saturday evening means Carlo Ancelotti’s men keep their three point advantage over their Catalan rivals.

Speaking after the game, Arbeloa, who filled in at left-back against Elche, said the players had to give 100% throughout the game, and the visitors had chances to make the scoreline look closer.

“It was a very difficult match, they packed the middle of the park and we found it harder than usual to squeeze them. Although the result may make it seem like an easy win, it was a very hard-fought match. You have to learn how to suffer as well. They had a chance to make it 2-1, but with the next move we made it 3-0,” he told reporters.

He was also asked about playing out of position, and stated that at this point of the season, it’s important to have players available and ready to play when called upon.

“Coentrão had a few minor problems and the coach didn’t want to risk playing him. We have played a lot during the last 90 days and the most important thing is that we are all available to play,” Arbeloa stated.

By -
0

Carlo Ancelotti showed great satisfaction with his team’s performance against Elche in Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I’m satisfied because we didn’t give anything away in defence,” he told reporters in the post-match press conference. “Of course we could have played better, but at this point of the season we have to be practical, and we were today,” he added.

When asked about Asier Illarramendi’s performance replacing suspended Luka Modric, the Italian confessed to be “very happy with him.” “Modric gives us more options in tight games because of his one-on-one ability, but Illarramendi played very well in this match,” he said.

Ancelotti also praised Gareth Bale’s performance, as the Welshman scored one of the best goals of the season: “He was lacking confidence before that great goal. After that it was like a different game for him. It helped gave him more confidence. He played OK before the goal and fantastic after it.”

Isco came into play in the second half and put in a brilliant performance playing as a winger. When asked about his role in future games Ancelotti pointed out “he can play as a false nine and in midfield; he trained in that position this week and can play there, in an area that requires more sacrifice, and do a good job.”

Los Blancos’ manager also took advantage of the ocassion to show his discontent with Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension. “The ban wasn’t normal, not even waiting until the afternoon to decide if he could play against Elche or not. We’ve won three games without him and there have been no practical consequences, but what happened was incredible. I can’t comprehend or forget it,” he stated.

By -
0

Saturday turned out to be a great day to be a Madridista, with Los Blancos winning 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu against Elche to move three points clear at the top of La Liga.

It was then up to Barcelona to respond in the evening, but they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Real Sociedad, meaning Real Madrid are on their own as leaders for the first time in 20 months. Unless Atletico de Madrid beat Osasuna by more than five goals, that will remain the case this evening.

The Madrid press reflects the jubilation of the last 24 hours and there is plenty of coverage of both matches – with Marca and As going to town on Tato Martino’s line-up, substitutions, attitude and manner in which Los Cules played.

In terms of Real Madrid’s match, there is plenty of focus on Gareth Bale, who scored a stunning second goal form 30 yards out. Marca says that in Bale, Los Blancos have a weapon to unleash that no other La Liga club has, someone who can rifle home from long distance whenever he gets the chance.

There’s also much praise for Asier Illarramendi’s performance. The Basque midfielder put in a superb display in the middle of the park filling in for the suspended Luka Modric. And he grabbed his first Real Madrid goal in La Liga by opening the scoring.

1...584585586...733Page 585 of 733

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