Capello and Helguera: "We're not scared; we are here to win"
Iván Helguera was the Madridista selected to speak to the national and international members of the press before he and his teammates get their first look at the turf of the Allianz Arena, stage for tomorrow's pivotal clash. Joining the centre back was coach Fabio Capello. Their shared message: "Madrid have come to Munich to win."
The team landed in Germany at approximately 1 pm CET. Their first stop at the Bavarian capital was their hotel, followed by lunch and some free time to relax and kick back before the evening training session, which took place in the unique and spectacular scenery of the Allianz Arena, all decked in red, denoting it's the homd turf of Bayern Munich.
Still, before the 23 players that made up the squad list of Capello stepped out onto the stadium pitch where they will play the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 tomorrow, centre back Iván Helguera and head coach Fabio Capello addressed the media during the mandatory pre-match press conference. They faced over 50 journalists from Spain, Germany and other countries worldwide, avid to hear what the Madridistas had to say. One message stood out: “The team has not come to Germany to hold onto the initial 0-0.”
Fabio CapelloAre you at all afraid?
We are not scared of anyone or anything.
Might you surprise us all tomorrow with some sort of systematic change?
I have a lot of ideas for tomorrow. Anything is possible and a lot can happen, but I want to see how my players are this evening. Some have knocks, other are niggled, so tonight I will decide. I don't think we can be thinking too much about the defence. We need to play just like we know how to, and just like we have on prior occasions.
So you aren't thinking about a 0-0 draw?
A 0-0 draw cannot be our objective. We're here to score at least one goal.
Hitzfeld is very confident that his team will win the tie.
Every coach believes his team will make it to the next round. It's totally normal. I believe mine will.
The English press is saying that Madrid are vulnerable with Beckham out injured.
People are free to say whatever they like. I am used to many people thinking they know more than we do. I am very certain that tomorrow my team will be 100% ready to play.
It's the perfect stage for Cannavaro to play a great match.
Absolutely. He had a great World Cup here and tomorrow he may play a great game.
Who do you trust more, Spanish referees or European ones?
I don't comment on the referees. It's been three years since I last said something in reference to them.
Will Beckham be sorely missed?
David Beckham is playing well, just as he knows how to. But he is injured, so we just have to move on.
Are all your players 100% fit?
Some are slightly niggled, but we have 24 hours to get them in top form. But it's nothing serious.
Iván Helguera
Can you cope with all the pressure?
This team has a lot of experience playing this type of match. No one is intimidated. We're Real Madrid. We know we'll have the crowd completely against us. That's how it always is here in Munich, but we just have to deal with the pressure.
Do you trust European referees?
I trust Spanish and European referees equally.
What did the team learn from the first leg of the tie?
We learn a lot from every match we play, but the first leg would show that we stayed too far back and defended too much, especially in the second half. They weren't satisfied with a 3-1 result, so they attacked and we all moved into the first third of the pitch; a huge mistake both at home and here.
Report by Cristina Monge & Javier Palomino
Photos: Diario AS
Special correspondents to Munich, Germany
Translation by Matthew Goltz & Luis Orueta
posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 2:14 AM
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