Realmadrid News

Salgado sees a strong team:"We have to start giving it our best"

How do you feel?
I feel alright, despite the fact that my return to the team has been delayed even more when it was imminent, due to a small injury on my calf muscle. It is not a relapse, but I don't want to set a date for my return anyway. My muscle's been strained due to all the hard gym work I've been doing. I'll return to work as soon as I can.

Your previous injury didn't seem serious at first, but you eventually spent a long time recovering.
The tackle in the match against Levante bruised my bone and my ligament. I ruled out a tear and a fracture, but it could have been something even worse. For a while, I will feel pain while playing because the recovery of an internal lateral ligament is always complicated.

It seems the right fullback position on the team is cursed.
I don't understand all this talk about a curse. These things happen in the attack or in the midfield too. This squad has many right fullbacks, so there is no problem covering that sport. Only Cicinho and I have a problem.

Would you have been called up to play for the Spanish national team if you were well?
I don't think about that. I'm only worried about my injury, and think only of playing again. It's in times like these that you value the importance of being available. One has to cherish every single moment that he plays.

It's better not to play right now with everything that's happening on the Spanish national team.
I like to be on it even in the worst moments. Real men would want to be there. I envy them and I wish them the best. I'm sure they will soon overcome this situation.


What's your opinion on Joaquín's comments?
Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but people should be careful because when things are said from the inside they hurt even more. I'm not one to criticise other people's opinions.

What do you think about all that is being said about the national team?
Football is crazy nowadays, and we see it every day. No one stands anyone in the long run anymore. Everything is done under pressure. People just want to stand out and hurt others. What kind of a revolution do people expect from one of the youngest squads in the World Cup? Luis Aragonés said that he feels capable of getting Spain out of this situation. We players have to support him to the end. The press has different opinions. Surveys don't mean anything to me because they vary depending on the newspaper or journal that publishes them. I don't take them as real surveys.

Do you think Aragonés is capable of pulling through?
He's been in the football world for many years. I'm sure he's lived through worse situations. Why wouldn't he be able to pull through?

Reyes thought Spain lacked courage against Sweden.
I don't want anything I say to make me the star of tonight's match against Argentina. The players are the stars. When I feel I have to talk about Spain I will, but I feel now isn't the right moment. We should leave them alone. I don't have anything else to say about it.

Do you think people should give Spain more time?
There's never enough time in football. No one looks for a good project, but to win. We can't make any more mistakes because being in the Euro 2008 is at stake. The mistake in the match against Ireland was to think about our performance in the World Cup. We have to think about the present and focus on the European Championship.

Could you tell us who those people who hurt the team from the inside are?
I'm not going to get involved in this controversy. I'm not going to write a "Bible" of names. There are people surrounding the football world that work on that.


People say you had some trouble with Aragonés, is this true?
I've never heard about that before. I guess someone who had to come up with something made that one up. I've never had any problems with Luis Aragonés. I only have trouble with how the coach blows his whistle at me during training.

He didn't make as many changes on the squad as we thought at first.
When you make a generational change you change it all, and now he's only left out Raúl. Who's left on the squad of Raúl's generation? We shouldn't keep thinking about it; the coach simply decided not to take Raúl for reasosns only he knows. I can't get into the national coach's mind. He hasn't revolutionised the squad as people said he would. Why should we meddle in the Raúl issue anyway? Some very disrespectful things have been said. I would like to talk about me and Real Madrid. Let's stop talking about Raúl. Let's leave him alone. The coach is very happy with him, and he will soon be on the national team again.

Who are in better shape, Barcelona or Real Madrid?
Both teams are going through a beginning stage. Barcelona aren't in the good form they were in last season, and we aren't were we want to be just yet. I think Valencia are very strong. I think the three of us are going to be fighting for the title. We are getting better. I hope we solve our internal problems soon. We have a new coach, and we still need to play our best.

The fifty days Capello said the team needed to improve have already gone by.
We have to start playing our best. We are well positioned on the League table, and we have the matches against Getafe and Barcelona coming up. It is very important that we win both, especially the match against Barcelona. These ten day halts are good for the team in order to work out. We have to start showing the results of the physical and tactical training we have done so far.


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

posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 10:11 PM