Realmadrid News

Roberto Carlos press conference:"We are ready for the match against Getafe; the past ten days have been good for us"

Do you like Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy playing together?
Capello is trying it out, but we still don't know who will play. Ronaldo is training well and we need him, but we also have Cassano. Of course they form a good couple, but a Cassano Van Nistelrooy pairing would also be effective.

How is Ronaldo? Saturday will be the tenth anniversary of his goal against Compostela.
That was one of the most beautiful goals he's ever scored, and I hope he keeps scoring goals like that. I'm sure these are very special days for him.

Atletico's Maxi has the same injury as Cicinho.
It's a shame Maxi's injured because he played a fantastic World Cup. I didn't think it would be that serious when I saw it. We play on worse fields in Brazil. It's normal for a new field to be bumpy. It's sometimes better to delay their use so that the grass is stronger. The Spanish FA should have people checking the fields. Maxi is Atletico's best player, so let's hope he recovers soon.

Eto'o and Maxi are both injured. Things seem to be looking a bit easier for you now.
Barcelona have three or four players on the national squad who have returned after ten intense days of work. They may be tired against us because they have a match this weekend and they face Chelsea next week. Playing for a national team is exhausting both physically and emotionally. The next two weeks are very important.


In Spain, people always criticise the national team's lack of connection with the fans.
It's worse in Brazil. Both in Brazil and Argentina criticism is different. The fans demand we win friendlies. People vote for the players that should play. Spain will play a semifinal when it has a team that has the mentality of being a country. They will get there little by little. It's a shame this isn't so yet, because they have good players. They lost against Sweden and beat Argentina. Spain finds it easier to face important teams. A friendly between Brazil and Argentina is like a World Cup final. Spain will soon improve.

Do you think they have the right coach?
I think they do. People question his work because things don't go as they want. Things will go better if people give him more time and if the players help him out. A change of coach would be bad for Spain at this stage.

What's your opinion on Raúl's situation?
The pressure and the criticism have made Aragonés think more carefully. When he didn't include Raúl on his teamsheet it seemed like it was the end of the world. This has been good for Raúl because he has been able to rest. We want him to go back with Spain because he is its symbol.

A few months ago all of you left to join national teams and now you don't.
National coaches want to give younger players a chance, and I think they're doing the right thing. This situation depends on each national coach, but Real Madrid isn't going to ask them to recruit its players because this is good for the team.


And Beckham?
He's relaxed and well. He's happy and will soon be the player he used to be. He will play more minutes. Each player has to assume his own responsibility. The coach knows who has to play. He has always said the squad should have 22 or 23 players. I hope David and I renew our contracts.

What do you think of Getafe?
We haven't won there in the last couple of years. Let's see of we can change that this time around. It will be a difficult match. The coach has told us to focus on Saturday, not on next week's match against Steaua Bucharest.

This is the first match you will play being well rested.
At last we arrive to a match well rested, unlike in the match against Atletico. We will be ready for this match.

Do you talk to Emerson about his physical form?
Emerson is fine. He knows people criticise his performance, but they should be patient with him. He has always been a defensive player, and that is good for us. The Bernabéu fans demand spectacle, but Emerson is our reference point in the midfield, and losing him would give us problems. Spanish football is different from calcio, and adapting to Real Madrid is never easy.

The team is being heavily criticised.
Criticism is good for us because it shows us our defects. We are playing well defensively. We watch videos of our matches and listen to our coach in order to improve, and your criticism will also help us. We are slowly getting there.


Report by Luis Navarro
Photography by Daniel Sastre
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 10:46 PM